Misunderstood Birds Get the Attention They Deserve on International Vulture Awareness Day
August 27, 2009
CHARLESTON, SC – August 27, 2009 – On Saturday September 5, 2009 the Center for Birds of Prey will participate in the International Vulture Awareness Day by providing various special activities from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at their location in Awendaw, SC.
The Center educators will provide a variety of vulture-centric programs and activities for all ages including the interactive “Scavengers and Thieves” walking tour and vulture flight demonstrations. Other special programming includes “Identifying SC’s Vultures in Flight,” “Vultures in Crisis” and a visit to “The Vulture Restaurant,” the feeding area where animal control officers routinely bring deer and other animals that are killed on the roadways. The Center will also debut a pair of Yellow-headed vulture chicks, their newest vultures.
“Most people see vultures as a nuisance but they are misunderstood and ecologically important,” said Stephen Schabel, education director at the Center for Birds of Prey. “Without this natural recycler, our ecosystem would be in poor, unstable condition.”
The International Vulture Awareness Day has grown from Vulture Awareness Days run by the Birds of Prey Working Group in South Africa and the Hawk Conservancy Trust in England, who decided to work together and expand the initiative into an international event. This is the first year of the International Vulture Awareness Day. Find out more about international activities at www.ivad09.org.
The event is open to the public and will occur from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on September 5, 2009. The cost will be $12 for adults, $10 for youth (ages 6-18) and free for children under six accompanied by a parent or guardian. No dogs are allowed on the property. Public restrooms and free parking available.
About The Center for Birds of Prey and the Avian Conservation Center:
Under the umbrella of the nonprofit Avian Conservation Center, The Center for Birds of Prey and Avian Medical and Oiled Bird Treatment Facility near Charleston, S.C., identify and address vital environmental issues through avian medicine, educational outreach and conservation initiatives. With thoughtfully designed display aviaries, two flight demonstration fields and a planned education, science and conservation building, the 152-acre campus adjacent to the Cape Romain Wildlife Refuge and Francis Marion National Forest offers the public a chance to experience birds of prey in a natural setting and to better understand avian science and environmental conservation. For further visitor information call (843) 971-7474 or visit www.thecenterforbirdsofprey.org. Follow the Center on Twitter@SCBirdsofPrey.
