What word comes to mind when you think of vultures?

How about ugly? Or even death? Those words fit. Vultures are hardly cute. And they gather around dead and dying animals. 

Conservationists in Africa are trying to give the birds a little love. That won’t be easy. They’re among the least loved animals in the world. 

Vultures are endangered. But people need them. 

“They are not up there on the pretty scale. And they are not popular,” says Fadzai Matsvimbo. She is an extinction prevention coordinator at BirdLife International. “But we know they are very useful.”

Does your mom ever tell you to “clean your plate” at dinner? Vultures never need that reminder. They might be the least picky eaters in the world! They chow down on dead animals—skin, meat, fur, feathers, and all. Nothing remains but the skeleton. (The fur and feathers often come back up if not digested. Vultures, like owls, regurgitate pellets with these materials in them.)

On one hand, that’s gross. On the other hand, it’s a very efficient way to clean up.

Six of the 11 vulture species in Africa are now listed as endangered or critically endangered. And without vultures, humans will have quite a mess on their hands. A wake of vultures can strip a decomposing carcass in hours. The birds clean up ecosystems. Their work stops disease from spreading. It also discourages pests like rats and wild dogs. 

In other words: Life is better with vultures.

Vultures have extremely strong stomach acid. They don’t get food poisoning. They can eat bacteria and toxins that would kill other animals. (A few months ago, more than 50 hippos died from suspected anthrax poisoning in Congo. Vultures could have eaten that poison, which would have saved the hippos.)

Vultures are nature’s “best sanitation services,” says Ms. Matsvimbo. 

Why? Even “ugly” animals have crucial roles to play in the balance and operation of God’s world.