Vulture loss raises spillover risk

Vultures provide an underappreciated public‑health service by consuming infected carcasses and neutralizing pathogens in their acidic guts. Widespread mortality among vultures from H5N1 could reduce carcass removal, lengthen pathogen persistence on the landscape, and increase infection opportunities for livestock, pets, and humans. — Losing scavenger species can amplify zoonotic risk and therefore should factor into pandemic prevention, cross‑border monitoring, and conservation funding decisions.