‘Vultures!’ Aesha pulled a face. ‘Why would we go all the way to India to hang out with vultures? They’re ugly and disgusting.’ She pushed her dinner plate away as though it contained something distasteful.
‘They speak very highly of you too,’ her father, Peter, replied.
‘I think they’re rather handsome,’ said her mother. ‘And they fulfil a very vital role.’
‘Like scavenging on things that other animals have killed,’ Aesha said scornfully.
‘That’s exactly right,’ said Binti. ‘They clean up what’s been left, and that’s very important in helping to prevent disease. Talking of which, it’s your turn to clear the table.’
‘What’s India like?’ Joe asked.
Their mother, Binti, who was an international vet, had just announced that they were going to spend time there while she helped with research into why vulture numbers were declining to such an extent that they were becoming endangered.
‘It’s hot and noisy and chaotic and full of wonderful smells and there’s an amazing photo to be taken every few seconds,’ Peter told him.
Joe perked up at the idea of that. He had his very own camera and wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps as a wildlife photographer.
‘So why are vultures in India endangered?’ Aesha wanted to know. ‘We saw lots of them when we were in Africa.’
‘It seems they may be sensitive to a drug used to treat cattle,’ Binti replied.
‘Vultures don’t eat cattle, do they?’ said Joe.
‘Yes, they do,’ said Binti. ‘When cattle die, farmers take their carcasses to a communal place and leave them for vultures and other scavengers to pick over. Traces of the drug have been found in some carcasses, and there appears to be a link between that and the dramatic reduction in vulture numbers.’
‘So they need to stop using the drug,’ said Aesha. ‘Job done.’ She pushed back her chair and collected the dirty plates.
‘If only it were that simple,’ said Binti. ‘Farmers rely on certain drugs to keep their cattle healthy. And cattle are vital to the farmers’ livelihoods.’
‘It’s never simple, is it, Mum?’ Joe commented.
Foggy the dog woke from his slumber under the table and nestled his head on Joe’s knee.
‘So many things depend on other things, don’t they, Foggy?’ he continued.
‘Upset one cog in a finely tuned engine and the whole lot grinds to a halt,’ his father agreed. ‘It’s the same with the natural world, and it’s usually man’s interference that causes the problem.’
‘Sometimes human beings are so dumb. We do so much damage to the world around us.’ Aesha sounded as if she’d rather not be human. Joe often wondered if she was an alien rather than his sister.
‘Sometimes a perfectly innocent pursuit can cause problems,’ said Binti. ‘One of the things that’s not helping the vulture population in India is kite-flying. That’s the main reason for my trip.’
‘Kite-flying!’ Joe was incredulous. ‘How can kite-flying affect vultures?’
‘It probably scares them!’ said Aesha.
‘It’s worse than that. January the fourteenth is the annual International Kite Festival in Ahmedabad, where we’re staying. Everyone flies kites to celebrate Uttarayan – the end of winter and beginning of summer,’ Binti explained. ‘They cover the strings of the kites with ground glass, which makes them sharp. The idea is that kite-flyers target rival kites and try to cut them out of the sky. Sadly, large numbers of vultures get caught up in the strings.’
Joe grimaced at the thought of what could happen to the vultures.
‘Mum, that’s awful!’ Aesha cried. ‘Surely not many vultures would fly into them, would they?’
‘Yes, unfortunately – especially since the festival covers such a huge area,’ said Peter. ‘Your mother will be helping to save the injured birds while we’re there.’
Joe looked at his mother with pride. Not only did his mother come from Tanzania, which meant he was half-African, but he and Aesha were lucky enough to travel the world because of their parents’ professions. It’s so cool having an international vet for a mum, he thought.