A group of Peruvian vultures has been fitted with GPS tracking devices and video cameras to help Peru's environmental ministry sniff out illegal garbage dumps in Lima, the country's capital.
Vultures survive in the wild by opportunistically scavenging other animals' leftover food, and when in proximity to human settlements, this scavenging ability translates to an aptitude for locating rubbish dumps.
The project, Gallinazo Avisa - which translates to "Vulture alerts" - also encompasses a campaign to raise public awareness about the importance of recycling and the environmental issues associated with improper waste management.
The vultures are trained to fly back to their handlers after scouting for illegal dumps, and the information they collect is plotted onto an interactive Google Map, which the public can access via the project's Web site.
The campaign portrays the vultures as underdog protagonists in the fight against pollution, and has given the project's ten vultures heroic, mythological names such as Griffin and Captain Phoenix.
"On the one hand, pestilence and disease are hidden among the filth," says the campaign's video, which resembles a moody trailer for a superhero film. "On the other hand, humanity is placidly ignoring the danger that threatens to interrupt its aspirations for development forever."
"Between them, it's only us... the vultures," continues the video, displaying dramatic black-and-white shots of the birds. "The ones who always clean up the garbage. Even though nobody likes us."
The video goes on to imply that human waste poses broader problems than simply that of correct garbage management, touching on issues of complacency and ignorance in the face of pollution.
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