Vulture Infestation in Placida Neighborhood

Big birds are taking over a local golf course in Charlotte County, feeding off the fish kill. Vultures have been invading a Placida neighborhood, causing problems for locals.

A couple of weeks ago, something started killing fish, and now it’s a buffet for the vultures.

With all the water around Placida Road near the Links Golf Club, neighbors are worried.

Windward resident Stuart Merdian has been concerned with all the vultures he has witnessed around the area.

“We had a big fish kill in the lake, not sure what caused it. and the vultures are here every day in the hundreds and hundreds,” Merdian said.

These dead fish have become the best meal in town for these hungry birds and with that comes the mess.

This includes fish skeletons littering the golf course and the vultures dropping messes on the homes of the residents.

“We walk, we bike, we take our animals out for walks, and right now, it’s just not real safe to do that with all the dead fish everywhere,” Merdian said.

WINK News Report Paul Dolan asked Matt Depalis Environmental Policy Director for the Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation if these dead fish, hungry vultures, and fish carcasses are a health risk.

He said the vultures may actually be helpful.

“Vultures being there are helping alleviate some of those health concerns. They themselves are very resistant to toxins, to pathogens and to disease,” Depalis said. “So having the vultures there is nature’s way of really safely disposing of these large amounts of dead animals.”

Golfers had to tip-toe around the vultures or wait until they were done eating before taking their swing Thursday morning. You had a better chance of a hole-in-one than avoiding the smell.

“Just the stench a couple of the golfers were coughing, joking like they were going to throw up. It was that bad.” Merdian said.

Vultures continue to turn the putting green into a free-for-all feast.