Air traffic on alert over high-flying vulture

WARNINGS were issued to aircraft over Scotland yesterday after a bird of prey centre lost a vulture which is capable of soaring at heights of more than 30,000 feet.

The Rueppell's Griffon Vulture - which has a wingspan of 10ft - was flying in a display at World of Wings in Cumbernauld when it was caught in a gust of wind.

The bird's handlers could only watch as their star attraction flew higher in to the sky.

Now it is feared the seven-year-old female, named Gandalf, could pose a threat to aircraft.

David Ritchie, director of the attraction, said: "These birds can soar higher than any other in the world, and have recorded heights of over 36,000ft.

"Gandalf is an absolute monster bird with a 10-and-a-half foot wingspan.

"She poses a genuine threat to airplanes."

The bird has been the star attraction at World of Wings since 2006, when she was brought from Africa to be part of a breeding programme.

The centre specialises in promoting the plight of vultures, which are becoming increasingly endangered across the world.

Gandalf is let loose to fly every day for members of the public, to show the birds "in their full glory".

Mr Ritchie said: "She was taking part in her daily display and started to soar. She got caught in the wind and just went higher and higher until she disappeared.

"She's never disappeared like this before in the four years she's been with us.

"She seemed to go off in the direction of Edinburgh or Stirling, but she was so high she could be anywhere.

"There have been no sightings since and we are very worried as we hand feed her and she may not survive more than a couple of days trying to fend for herself in the wild.

"We would warn people not to approach her but to call the police.

"She has no fear of humans and she could give someone a very severe bite - her beak is designed to tear flesh apart.

"We have informed the Scottish airports, the police, the Scottish SPCA, Edinburgh Zoo and Blair Drummond Safari Park."

National Air Traffic Services confirmed that pilots taking off and landing at Scottish airports had been warned about the vulture.

A spokeswoman added: "We have been alerted to this bird. Police are also involved."

A spokeswoman for the Civil Aviation Authority said: "It can be quite serious. All the operators in the area have been notified.

"Pilots, when they are going to take off, will be notified there may be a vulture in their particular zone."

A spokesman at Cumbernbauld Airport said: "We have been notified by the owners and we in turn are notifying all aircraft in the vicinity - small, medium and large - to keep a general look out for it.

"With a wingspan of 10ft, it could do a lot of damage to a large aircraft.

"But it's also half the size of some of our small training aircraft and it could take one of them, or even a helicopter, right out.

"Something that size getting into an engine could take it out."

Rueppell's Griffon Vultures - Latin name Gyps rueppellii - are native throughout the Sahel region of central Africa but the current population of 30,000 is in decline due to ongoing loss of habitat and other pressures.

Named after Eduard Ruppell, a 19th century German explorer, collector and zoologist, they are considered to be the world's highest flying birds, commonly flying at altitudes ranging up to 19,700ft, with confirmed evidence of a flight at an altitude of 36,100ft above sea level.

The record was set when one of the birds was ingested by a jet engine of an airplane flying over Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, on November 29, 1973.