Original URL: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/08/23/gandalf_recaptured/
Scottish skies clear of giant vulture menace
Gandalf recaptured with 'big duvet'
Posted in Bootnotes, 23rd August 2010 15:10 GMT
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The Ruppell's Griffon Vulture which went awol [1] last week from a Cumbernauld bird of prey centre has been recaptured, the BBC reports.
Gandalf, a seven-year-old female, soared away from World of Wings [2], prompting an alert that she posed "a genuine threat to airplanes".
In the event, she managed to avoid a mid-air collision, and was spotted over the weekend atop a telegraph pole at a disused brickworks near Falkirk.
World of Wings director David Ritchie told [3] the BBC: "I got a phone call from a member of the public, who works as a vet. She said she had spent time in Africa and was 99% certain she was looking at a Ruppell's Griffon vulture. It could only be Gandalf."
He continued: "We went out and there she was. I think she's been hiding there. I ran in to a field opposite and threw her a dead chick to eat. She was obviously hungry and came down for it. We wrapped her in a big duvet and got her back to our van."
Gandalf is apparently none the worse for her brief flirtation with the blue yonder, as a heartwarming BBC vid shows [4].
She's been at World of Wings since 2006, when she was relocated from central Africa as part of a breeding programme. ®