Although vultures and birds of prey look terrifying, especially when you realize how big their wingspan can be, they are not likely to attack alive humans or be harmful in any way.
In fact, zoo workers have shared that many vultures that live in captivity can be a man’s best friends.
And, while people who take part in activities that take place in the sea often mention and are in awe of the wildlife that lives there, when activities that take place in the air are discussed, vultures are rarely talked about.
As Scott Mason, falconer, says:
“Vultures don’t get enough pages in paragliding magazines. Leaf through scuba-diving magazines and you’ll see lots of articles about wildlife. Beginner pilots should be introduced to birds – many of us are inspired to fly because of them.”
Mason, who is a paraglider himself, decided to start a project more than 20 years ago that would combine paragliding and falconry.
He and his team, based in Nepal at first, trained vultures so that they would guide them to thermals when they went paragliding.
“My aim was to create awareness, to portray them in a more positive light and educate people about the important role they play in our ecosystem,” Mason told Storyful.
Sadly, after more than 15 years of parahawking, as he named his project, he and his team had to stop working in Nepal, as he explained in an official announcement back in 2017.
“I can announce that at present there will be no more Parahawking in Nepal, our project has been closed down and our birds, including our beloved Kevin and Bob have been confiscated.”
After Nepal, his next step was parahawking in Spain, where he successfully continued his project and introduced vultures to many locals and tourists who decided to live the once-in-a-lifetime experience.
However, due to legal complications, combined with the Covid-19 pandemic and the problems it caused to those working in tourism, the project has closed permanently.
“Due to unreasonable and illogical restrictions placed upon us by the Spanish Government making it impossible for us to fly with our birds, plus the devestating affect of Covid on the tourism industry, it is with great sadness that after 20 years, the Parahawking Project is now closed,” one can read on the official website.
And, although Mason’s parahawking project is not running anymore, there are still his videos available in which he introduces humans to the impressive birds of prey that follow them in their paragliding route.
Just like the video below, in which a large bird of prey- note that a large vulture’s wingspan can be 110 inches- that flies along with the paragliders and even stops by to chew on the selfie stick for a while.
It’s amazing how the large bird accompanies the flying humans and, at the same time, it’s guiding them to follow the best route for an amazing experience.
Luckily, many have been inspired by Mason, so there seem to be other parahawking projects around the world.
Watch the vulture joining the paragliders in an astonishing flying experience in the video below.
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