10
Loading video...
By Jack Beresford
Senior Reporter
0
Share
Newsweek is a Trust Project member
See more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.
A Texas plumber came face-to-face with an intimidating pair of animal squatters during what was supposed to be a routine callout.
Gary Gilbert works for Cowboy Plumbing Services, providing assistance to customers across Comal County and the surrounding area.
On this particular day, Gilbert told Newsweek he received a callout to a local property where the occupants were complaining of a "sewer gas smell" coming from one of their bathrooms.
Read More on Property
When Gilbert first began exploring the plumbing beneath the bathroom, he "didn't suspect anything was down there."
That was what made what happened next such a shock. As he searched the space for the source of the odor, Gilbert came face-to-face with a pair of vultures.
With their imposing appearance, vultures can be unsettling to encounter in person, a perception reinforced by centuries of religious symbolism.
In Christianity, vultures are commonly associated with death, judgment and the consequences of sin. However, they can also symbolize renewal and God's ability to bring order and purpose from what has been broken or lost.
Many Native American traditions view vultures as symbols of purification, renewal and balance. Because they clean the land by removing dead animals, vultures are often respected as guardians of the natural cycle of life and death, representing transformation, resourcefulness and harmony with nature.
Vultures are most commonly seen as a sign that there is a dead animal nearby, as they are scavengers that feed on carrion. Scientists, however, regard this as a vital ecological role.
A 2024 study published in the journal iScience, based on the views of 206 experts worldwide, found broad agreement that vultures make significant contributions to waste recycling and disease control, highlighting their importance to ecosystem functioning and sustainability.
"I thought the vultures were under there because of a dead animal possibly causing the smell," Gilbert said. "They weren't dangerous."
He soon discovered that the source of the smell was, in fact, a dead deer. The vultures, however, were not there to feed on the carcass. Instead, they had set up a nest beneath the house.
"The vultures laid eggs under there and have been living there for a while," he said. "I didn't have to mess with them because the deer smell was coming from a different bathroom."
Once the source of the odor had been removed, both the vultures and Gilbert were free to go about their day. Nevertheless, it made for an unusual encounter, one that Gilbert captured on camera.
For Gilbert, it was a routine callout that turned into an encounter he won't soon forget.
...
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Rebecca Flood and Emma Lee-Sang
View 0 Comments
Submit Correction
View Editorial & AI Guidelines