With just four landfills in a city of nearly 10 million inhabitants, there are countless illegal dumps in Lima and garbage is winning, having outstripped the city’s capacity to clean itself. As the capital’s emblematic birds are natural trash scavengers, it made sense to the Peruvian government and USAID to enlist the help of the gallinazos (black vultures) for Gallinazo Avisa (Vultures Warn), a movement to sniff out rubbish piles so action can be taken to improve the environment. Now as you look up you’ll see these high-flying cyborgs. Equipped with ultra-lightweight cameras and GPS, the garbage agents document through bird’s-eye photos and videos and encourage people to take action on the ground. With the slogan ‘Vultures act. You warn’, YouTube videos, posters and the website connect the rescued vultures with members of the public, encouraging people to become ‘Land Vultures’ and join the ‘Vulture Brigade’.