Mark your calendars! On Saturday the 6th and Sunday the 7th of September, we’re celebrating some of nature’s most misunderstood but utterly vital creatures – vultures.
As part of International Vulture Awareness Day, we’ll be running a weekend of activities outside our Birds of Prey section (from 11am – 4.30pm) where you can:
Learn about Kevin, our hooded vulture
Kevin will be the star of the weekend. Visitors can enter a raffle for the chance to meet him up close and even experience flying him. Proceeds from the raffle will support Link to the Wild, our fundraising initiative that helps protect endangered species in the wild. Our Birds of Prey team have chosen to support VulPro, a leading vulture conservation charity, through Link to the Wild.
Get hands-on with feathers
Use pocket microscopes to study feathers up close and discover how they help birds soar, hunt, and survive.
Build a vulture food web
Learn how vultures keep ecosystems healthy by removing carcasses – keeping water sources clean and disease at bay.
Dissect owl pellets
Take a closer look at what owls eat and explore their role in the food web.
Vulture colouring station
Perfect for younger visitors – fun activities that show just how fascinating these birds are.
Waterproof feather experiment
See how different birds, from sea eagles to penguins, keep their feathers dry and waterproof.
Telemetry demo
Have a go at fitting a tracking “backpack” and learn how scientists follow bird movements in the wild.
Guess Kevin’s weight
Test your animal knowledge by comparing the weights of different birds.
Pebble pledges
Choose a conservation action you’d like to take and add your pebble to the jar – together, we can make a difference.
Vultures may not always win beauty contests, but they’re true heroes of the animal kingdom. Without them, ecosystems would struggle, disease would spread, and our natural world would be a much less healthy place.
Come along, get stuck in, and help us celebrate these incredible birds – and know that by joining in, you’ll also be helping to protect vultures in the wild.
Grab your tickets here.