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Vultures

Skeletal remains as vultures feed

The species contributing to the ritual are typically the griffon and Himalayan vultures.

If there happens to be several jhator offerings in a single place within a day, ritual dances may be conducted in order to coax the vultures to eat. If a few number of vultures come down to eat, or if portions of the body are leftover after the vultures fly away, or if the body is completely left untouched, it is considered to be a bad omen. In these cases, there are negative implications targeted towards the individual and/or the individual's family. It is usually believed that the individual being buried lived a bad life or accumulated bad karma throughout their lifetime and past lives, thus predetermining them to a bad rebirth.

In places where fewer bodies are offered, the vultures are more eager, and sometimes have to be fended off with sticks during the initial preparations. Often there is a limit to how many corpses can be consumed at a certain burial site, prompting lamas to find different areas. It is believed that if too many corpses are disposed in a certain burial site, ghosts may appear.

Not only are vultures an important aspect to celestial burial but also to its habitat's ecology. They contribute to carcass removal and nutrient recycling, as they are scavengers of the land. Due to an alarming drop in their population, the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Protection of Wildlife added certain species of vultures into the "rare" or "threatened" categories of the national list of protected wildlife. Local Chinese governments surrounding sky burial locations have established regulations to avoid disturbance of the vultures during these rituals, as well as to not allow individuals who have passed away due to infectious diseases or toxicosis from receiving a sky burial in order to prevent compromising the health of the vultures.