Let Them Circle

Re: The Oaks mall officials reported vultures roosting there for “several months” (“It’s a Jungle at the Mall,” Sept. 17). Wrong. The vultures have been roosting at the mall for at least three years.

I saw the first vulture six years ago in an empty lot on Marin Street between the old library and General Motors during the drought. More soon appeared during subsequent drought years and they stayed in eucalyptus trees in the Lynn Ranch area. Then they moved to The Oaks mall, where we see then almost daily.

The turkey vulture ranges from southern Canada to southern South America. The largest North American vulture is the California condor, on which millions of dollars have been spent to save them from extinction. While superficially similar to other birds of prey, the vultures are more closely related anatomically and behaviorally to storks.

A town in Ohio is famous for their vultures and has a yearly celebration bringing tourists and money into the area. The Oaks and the Chamber of Commerce could easily capitalize on their presence by fencing around the vulture trees and using their presence in the same way. Having watched their beautiful, graceful, soaring flight above the Lynn Road-Hillcrest intersection for years, we would miss them if they left or were endangered in any way.

And lest anyone laugh at the notion, wouldn’t you rather have our city noted for its vultures than for the human vermin that preys on us day and night?

JEAN THOMPSON

Thousand Oaks