Black vulture HPAI vaccine trials at Carolina Raptor Center.

Carolina Raptor Center Director of Avian Operations Kristin Dean holds a Black Vulture for North Carolina Department of Agriculture State Veterinarian Dr. Mike Martin while US Fish and Wildlife Service Wildlife Service Veterinarian Dr. Samantha Gibbs draws up the HPAI vaccine. The vultures served as surrogates for the California condor to determine if the vaccine was safe, and to assess the level of vaccine-induced immunity exhibited by the vultures.