Monday, November 23, 2009

The Birds



You see a lot of birds when you cycle. All kinds of different interesting birds with long tail feathers, and funny beaks and so many colours. But normally it's hard to take pictures of them.

This picture was taken in Ethiopia where a driver had killed seven donkeys the night before. There were around 200 vultures feasting and having a good time.

In Ethiopia, you always suspect that the drivers are a bit buzzed, and bug eyed from chewing "chat." Chat is a mild stimulant and drivers like it because it keeps them awake. It is Ethiopia's fourth largest export.

The thing which I hadn't realized is that donkey skin is very tough except for a patch near the tail. The vultures go in the back door and eat them from the inside out. Which is a bit gruesome really.

2 comments:

0.615 said...

WOW Dan. Lots of donkeys out there in eh. :) I wonder how the smell might be like. Phew...

Dan Carpenter said...

They were still pretty fresh so it smelled OK. They probably eventually buried the corpses.