Vulture goes missing after display at Essex zoo

A search has begun for a vulture that has gone missing from a zoo.

Harold the turkey vulture got caught in a gust of wind during a bird display at Call Of the Wild Zoo, Essex, on Monday.

Head keeper Sam Pryer said that although Harold was "a lazy bird" his six-foot wingspan meant that he could have "glided for potentially miles".

Although the bird has a tracker attached to him, staff have struggled to locate any signal from Harold since he went missing.

Staff at the zoo, which is located on the outskirts of South Woodham Ferrers, said they were hoping to have more success finding Harold by using a different tracker on Tuesday - as theirs may be faulty.

Harold was described as a large, black vulture with a bald head that may be pink or purple "depending on his mood", according to Mr Pryer.

The head keeper advised people to contact the zoo if they spotted Harold, and to not approach him as he could be easily spooked.

"Hes a bit of a wimp and used to being molly-coddled by us," he said.

He wanted to assure the public that turkey vultures were harmless, and only feast on animals after they have died, instead of hunting themselves.

"Hes very much used to human interactions and is a popular figure in the zoo as well," he explained.

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