208. Novel Observations of Beef Cattle Response to Black Vulture Proximity.

Abstract Black vultures (BV) are reported to kill thousands of beef cattle annually, and their range is increasing throughout the US. Predators can have direct effects on animal welfare (i.e., death), but can also cause indirect harm to the animal through increased vigilance and distress. Research on BV-cattle interactions has largely focused on direct effects, often quantified through producer self-reports, but indirect effects are understudied and may be prevalent. My objective was to observe how BV and cattle interact in cow-calf pastures. I expected that direct predation would be uncommon, but that cattle would show indirect negative effects, such as aggression or vigilance, when BV were present. Due to the unpredictable nature of livestock-wildlife conflict, this study was observational and descriptive in nature. Beef cattle in a pasture-based cow-calf operation (n = 200 cows) were observed at the Middle Tennessee AgResearch and Education Center (Spring Hill, TN) during a single calving season from Jan-Apr 2025. BV have been observed here year-round, and staff have reported the loss of calves by BV in previous years. Cattle were observed using 10 motion capture trail cameras placed opportunistically in 6 large pastures of 15-30 cows each. Cameras were set to trigger a minimum 20s video when motion was detected within 30m. Camera placement was based on staff expectations of calving sites or high-traffic BV sites, and location was rotated every 2wk. BV were frequently captured on video in groups of 1-30 individuals, and were often in close proximity to cattle. No deaths of cows or calves were recorded nor reported by farm staff. There was 1 occurrence of a BV pecking at the rear of a calf, who quickly moved away. In most videos when BV were in the camera’s field of view, cows were vigilant: they stopped feeding, began to bellow, and oriented towards vultures. Cows and calves often then ran away from BV, or charged towards them, causing the vultures to disperse. In 2 instances, dams who charged towards vultures stepped on their own newborn calves, while those who ran from vultures were occasionally observed knocking their calves to the ground. In a few cases, cows showed similar antipredator behavior towards turkey vultures, despite reports that only BV cause harm. Taken together, these videos provide novel evidence that BV may create an indirect welfare concern for beef cattle, even when predation is not actively occurring. Cattle respond to BV proximity through increased vigilance and defensive behaviors, which can cause injury. Future work should consider whether experiencing indirect effects of predation may cause long-lasting changes in behavior and welfare, particularly maternal behavior and human-animal interactions.