ET ISSUE 2201 Sunday 24 June 2001 Pursuit of fugitive vulture draws worldwide audience
By Adam Lusher

FOSTER the fugitive vulture soared to superstardom yesterday as hourly updates of his refusal to be recaptured were broadcast all over the world.

The vulture, until last week just a humble one eighth of a display team at Banham Zoo in Norfolk, has become internationally famous after a lucky thermal helped him fly away from his handlers on Monday. His fame threatens to eclipse that of the Tamworth Two, the pigs whose 1998 escape from a slaughterhouse attracted worldwide attention and talk of film scripts.

Many predicted similar offers for Foster, whose hourly updates of his tour of the East Anglian coast dominated satellite television broadcasts across the globe. Millions watched as first the vulture, then press and anxious zookeepers descended on Reydon, Suffolk, for a stand-off in the vicarage garden.

As the Ruppell's vulture (gyps rueppellii) with an 8ft wingspan loped across the lawn, his pursuers baited a noose made of falcon feathers and dead chicks in the hope that the trick, gleaned from a medieval falconry book, would succeed where nets, water hoses, toy owls and the charms of a vulture soulmate called Vomit had failed.

Foster had other ideas. He ignored the noose for 15 minutes, then lay on his stomach in the middle of the lawn for a spot of sunbathing, before finally flying off. John Dickson, head falconer at Banham, put a brave face on it: "It was great to see him wandering around on the lawn like that."

Mr Dickson said: "The longer he's on the ground, the more chance we have of catching him. The trap is not something I've used before. I think it comes from a 14th-century falconry book. As each day goes by, the bird gets keener and bolder. In four days' time, I am sure he will simply walk up to me. But I don't want to wait four days."

As the afternoon wore on, Foster had his closest shave. Lured into a baited camouflage net on the lawn, he flew out as the falconers scrambled to close the net. Mr Dickson refused to be downhearted. He said: "Because it is a very strong bird, it managed to stand up, lift up the nest, create a gap at the bottom and fly out. To be honest, we were gutted . . . but we will get him. As long as we know where he is, time is on our side."

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2001

Answers

let the bird FLY!!!!

We had 4 Hickley Buzzards flying in the field beside the house today, probably "bunnies!" yum! NOT!!!!!

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2001

Um, I don't believe this cute little guy is native to England. He wouldn't have any pals, except at the zoo.

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2001

Foster is native to Africa and might not survive an English winter. Or an English spring, come to that, lol. Here's what his 8' wingspan looks like:

And here's his striking profile:

-- Anonymous, June 23, 2001

Heeeeeeere's Foster!

Launching from a rooftop

Watching trap being prepared

Inspecting the trap

Bird experts dismantling trap

Foster was fed dead baby chicks

Local birds pestering Foster

-- Anonymous, June 24, 2001

We have these birds [or at least like this one] hanging around our county courthouse downtown. We call them turkey vultures.

Any relation?

LOL

-- Anonymous, June 24, 2001

We've got some of them too, we call 'em politicians, snort!

BBC Sunday, 24 June, 2001, 18:18 GMT 19:18 UK

Flyaway Foster finally caught

The dramatic moment of capture

Foster the Vulture has finally been caught after notching up nearly a week on the run.

Jo Lobb, 21, Foster's handler at his home of Banham Zoo near Diss in Norfolk, finally trapped him on Sunday.

She caught him after several hours of patient coaxing got him to eat a dead chick out of her hand.

Then she grabbed him by the leg and held him to the floor, while a colleague smothered him with a blanket.

Foster flew away from the zoo during a falconry display on Monday, apparently drifting off on a thermal and being unable to get back down.

Foster first headed 50 miles north to Happisburgh before changing tack and flying another 70 miles to Southwold.

He then made the short hop to Reydon, where he has been drawing crowds of silly season journalists and photographers.

He has been settled at Reydon Rectory for the last three days, spending the nights in a pine tree and the days flitting between the rectory roof and the lawn.

Keepers spent the entire day on Saturday trying to entice him down from the roof, and then into nets.

But about a dozen attempts to trap him failed.

At one point the bird climbed into a camouflaged baited net which had been laid on the rectory lawn.

But celebration quickly turned to disappointment as Foster flew out again before keepers could close the net around him.

Ms Lobb was brought in on Sunday.

Falconer John Dickson, who had also been trying to catch Foster, said: "She handles him more than anyone and he's definitely got a soft spot for her.

"You could see straight away that he recognised her."

-- Anonymous, June 24, 2001

We have two species of "vultures" in this country - turkey vulture and black vulture. They are "new world" vultures, not related to the ones from the old country. I don't think this African vulture would be related to them. However, our bald eagle (as opposed to the majestic golden eagle) is related to the old world vultures, but definitely a different genus. And then there are buzzards in the old world.

Nomenclature became a problem with the Europeans arrived, because the turkey and black vultures were very noticeable. The problem was when they called them vultures, they started running out of names. Our redtailed hawk is really a buzzard, but it is called a hawk here which lumps it in with the neurotic accipiters.

-- Anonymous, June 24, 2001