In medieval times, red-haired people were considered to be vampires, suffering from moral degeneration and often targeted.
The lesser known fact, however, is that red hair occurs in only 2 percent of the world’s population. It takes a rare gene MC1R and both parents must carry a copy of the gene to produce a red-haired child.
People with red hair are still the target of ridicule in present times, with names like Red-head, ginger, carrot top, carrot head being hurled at them.
Gingerism” has been compared to racism, although this is widely disputed, and bodies such as the UK Commission for Racial Equality do not monitor cases of discrimination and hate crimes against redheads. (Source: my good friend wikipedia)
Featured here:
Red-headed vulture | Binomial name: Sarcogyps calvus
Also known as the Asian king vulture, Indian black vulture or Pondicherry vulture, this magnificent bird hasn’t had it easy either. The biggest reason being the use of Diclofenac in veterinary medicines. Diclofenac is known to be extremely poisonous to vultures. Once seen in hundreds of thousands, this bird is now dangerously close to extinction. In 2007 it was listed as critically endangered in the IUCN Red List.
This gent here was sunning himself on top of a tall tree in the jungles of Kabini, safe from the perils of modern living.
Conservation Status: Critically endangered (IUCN 3.1)
Kingdom: Animalia | Class: Aves | Order: Accipitriformes | Family: Accipitridae
