Family held hostage by swarm of vultures

A family have been dealing with an infestation of vultures at their rural home. Rick Mize said he and his wife, step-daughter, and their dog enjoy living in quiet Buncombe, Southern Illinois. But for the past month, Mize said he and his family have been wildly interrupted by dozens of vultures.



The birds are now more than a nuisance. The vultures wake the family at all hours of the night as they walk across the roof of their home and stain the entire area with their faeces. Standing more than two-feet-tall with an average wing span of five and a half feet, the vultures have taken over the property.

Vultures are scavengers which means they rarely prey on living animals and typically search out dead animals. Mize said the birds came around the same time a terrible stench filled the area near his home, but he's not been able to locate any dead animals on his property.



"Okay your cat died in your house and you found it five days later after being on vacation," Mize said to describe the smell surrounding his home. "And you walk into your house. That's the stench, it's just foul, death." Mize said he thinks there is a large dead animal near his property. He's since contacted the Illinois Department of Natural Resources to report the bird problem.

With news video.