KISSIMMEE, Fla. – More than 1,000 Kissimmee Utility Authority customers lost power for an hour Sunday morning after a vulture flew into a high-voltage power line near Buenaventura Lakes.
The outage began at 9:42 a.m. and crews restored power at 10:34 a.m. after removing the bird's carcass from the power line in the 230 block of La Paz Drive.
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"These scavenging birds of prey, with wingspans of 5 feet or more, can easily get caught up in our infrastructure, where they often perch and scan their territory for food," said KUA spokesman Chris Gent. "Unfortunately, this bird didn’t survive."
Vultures are migratory birds protected by both the Migratory Bird Treaty Act and state law. They are managed by the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Fish and Wildlife Service and by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.