[G]onzo the Hooded Vulture will be the star of the show on 1 September 2018, as he helps visitors at the Lake District Wildlife Park near Keswick to mark International Vulture Awareness Day and turn around vultures’ reputations as the ‘bad guys’ of the natural world.
Gonzo’s distinctive walk and laid-back personality means he is a firm family favourite for visitors to the Cumbrian attraction, but his extended family in the wild are teetering on the edge of extinction, with a catastrophic 85% crash in numbers in the last decade. That’s all down to human persecution.
To help raise awareness of vultures’ plight – and the potential impact on the food chain – the Wildlife Park’s long-term resident has been officially designated as an Ambassador for the International Vulture Programme. And to mark the upcoming global awareness day, he will take centre stage as part of the daily Birds of Prey of Talk at midday on Saturday 1 September.
Bird of Prey Keeper at the Lake District Wildlife Park, John Foster, says, “Vultures really do have an unfair reputation. Far from being villains, I’d describe them as nature’s clean -up crew! By clearing up our landscapes and helping stop the spread of diseases, they are doing our fragile eco-systems a massive favour. Of course, I’m biased but Gonzo is such a distinctive and charismatic character. I hope that meeting him will help persuade our visitors that vultures really are unsung heroes who desperately deserve our help and support.”
Bird of prey demonstrations featuring Gonzo – alongside a variety of other raptors – are part of a longer-term effort at the Lake District Wildlife Park to help with fundraising and public awareness as part of the International Vulture Programme.
Visitors to the Wildlife Park can also see the two resident Turkey Vultures, Baldric and Farnham, during their visit. Although more common than other vulture species, they are renowned as having the most sensitive sense of smell in the entire bird world, with the potential to sniff out potential food from over a mile away.
