Big game hunting is providing scavengers with large amounts of carrion every year and, thus, affecting ecosystems and animal communities. In Europe, hunters discard about 100 million tonnes of carcasses and remains each year. This paper reviews the vertebrate species consuming carrion derived from this activity across different ecosystems in the world. As much as 79 species use this human-provided food; 19% of which are globally threatened. Fifteen apex predators, including the brown bear, were recorded scavenging on hunting remains. Their consumption is dominated by generalists, like bears, particularly in areas where vultures and specialist apex predators are rare or absent. By feeding on carrion, scavengers support key ecosystem services, such as accelerating nutrient recycling or limiting disease spreading. However, in degraded ecosystems with low diversity of scavenger, these services can be at risk.
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