On The Wings Of Vultures
A private bird of prey breeding center in Schoonrewoerd, in the southern Netherlands, has lost a vulture. They are appealing for help to find the bird, but warn that he could be dangerous.
"We're getting calls from all over the country," said Wilma van Rixel, of the Stonehenge Wildlife center.
Abu, who is normally kept in an enclosure, disappeared Friday while training for flying demonstrations staged by staff and birds from the center in Schoonrewoerd, southern Netherlands.
After taking off, the bird couldn't fight gusty winds and thermals to descend, and eventually disappeared into clouds, said Van Rixel.
Staff put little faith in most of the reported sightings because the vulture would be hard to distinguish from an airborne heron, common throughout the Netherlands, or a stork.
While asking for help locating Abu, staff at the center have advised the public not to try to catch him, warning that he could peck at their ears or fingers, particularly as he likely has not eaten for a few days.
The Stonehenge Center, which raises birds of prey, may just be the culprits who have been teaching vultures bad habits! What is a bird of prey center doing teaching hungry vultures to eat human ears and fingers? We here at Blue Crab Boulevard demand a full investigation at once! After all, Abu is probably well on his way to Spain by now, where hunting is reported to be good. And the peasants plentiful……
Animals, World news | Gaius Monday, 7 May , 2007
By Lars Walker, Monday, 7 May , 2007 @ 2:07 pm
My brother had a similar thing happen with a cockatiel once. It went outside with his wife, got caught in the wind and was gone.
However, they found him again some time later, hanging out with low company (blackbirds) a few miles down the road.
Sadly, they were repaid for feeding and sheltered the feathered fiend by being pecked to death in their beds.
(OK, I made that part up. But I wouldn’t want to encourage fraternization with the enemy.)