World Vulture Awareness Day 2025

Every year, we mark Vulture Awareness Day here at the Zoo to shine a light on these often-misunderstood birds. Vultures have a reputation for being unpleasant, but they play a vital role in keeping ecosystems healthy.

Often described as nature’s clean-up crew, vultures are scavengers that feed primarily on the remains of dead animals. They provide a crucial ecological service. By consuming carcasses, vultures help stop the spread of diseases such as rabies and anthrax, which can be harmful to both wildlife and people.

One of the species we care for at Noah’s Ark is the White-headed vulture, which are classed as Critically Endangered. These striking birds are impressive in flight, with wingspans reaching over two metres!

Zoe Cropper, our Lead Bird and Reptile Keeper, said “At Noah's Ark we are lucky enough to be home to two fantastic white-headed vultures, Arthur and Zola.

When Arthur joined us late last year, our hope was that it would be love at first sight for the pair. Although it did not quite go that way, we have seen some very positive signs that it could blossom into something special. One of the things we look for is the vultures’ passing sticks to each other to build a nest. Arthur is trying his best and I think Zola is coming around to his charms and choice of sticks!

It would be a huge achievement to breed our white-headed vultures. They are a critically endangered species with under 6000 individuals left in the wild. Only around 4000 of these being of breeding age, the species is in trouble. White headed vultures only produce one egg per year, so every single egg is incredibly precious. It would be a very different world without vultures in it, they play an incredibly important role in our ecosystems cleaning up carcasses which could otherwise spread diseases amongst other animals.”

Unfortunately, vultures around the world are under severe threat. Many species are endangered, and some are facing the real possibility of extinction. Major challenges include poisoning (both accidental and intentional), habitat loss, and pressures from the illegal wildlife trade. In some regions, vulture numbers have dropped so sharply that other scavengers, such as feral dogs and rats, have increased in their absence — spreading disease more easily among both animals and humans.

At Noah’s Ark Zoo Farm, we’re committed to raising awareness of the challenges vultures face and supporting efforts to protect them. Through our conservation partnerships and education programmes, we aim to highlight just how important these birds are and why protecting them matters for all of us.