Tourist's Body Eaten by Vultures After She Plunges to Her Death

  • 11 years ago
A woman's body is eaten by vultures after she plunges to her death.

A 52 year-old French woman tumbled to hear death, and her flesh was picked away by vultures.

According to an official, the woman slipped off a cliff in the Pyrenees and died during the fall.

When she was discovered all that remained were here bones, clothes, and shoes. It was estimated that the vultures consumed her in about 45 minutes.

The official did say that from a helicopter he noticed the birds were flying over the scene, but at the time he didn’t realize what the vultures were doing.

Local farmers have been prohibited from shooting the griffon vultures as they are a protected species. It’s estimated that there are only 500 remaining in the Pyrenees region of France and that number is due to a repopulation effort.

Meanwhile, laws dictate that animal carcasses are to be burned, depriving the bird of a primary food source.

The bird is by nature a scavenger, feeding only on animals that are already dead, but there have been instances of more aggressive behavior.

In 2008, a tourist was attacked by one while watching a live birds of prey show at a zoo in Spain.

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