Long Live the King

 

Speaking of special places in North Carolina, another lesser known treasure is the Carolina Raptor Center, just north of Charlotte in the town of Huntersville. Their main work is rehabilitating injured birds of prey. But they have a sort of zoo for the birds that aren't releasable into the wild. 

This photo is of a King Vulture at the Raptor Center. These incredibly beautiful and large birds look kind of like a cross between a parrot and a turkey. They're native to Central and South America. I'm a big fan of vultures and I think they get a bad rap. The way they soar is gracefully beautiful, and they do a lot of good for other animals (including humans) by eating dead carcasses infested with lethal bacteria and turning it into harmless vulture poop.