What to Know
- International Vulture Awareness Day takes flight on the first Saturday of September
- The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens will have a few feathery activities on its Sept. 7 schedule
- The daytime vulture-inspired activities are included with membership or with paid admission
- "Condors Cliffhangers: Adventures Saving the California Condor," a special expert panel, will happen at 7 p.m. in the zoo's Witherbeen Auditorium; $5 tickets are available online
The Halloween decorations popping up on store shelves often depict cartoon vultures perched atop haunted houses, the foggy castles shrouded in mist and gloom.
Fanciful though these seasonal adornments might be, they don't tell the vul, er, full story of these magnificent birds.
A trio of real-world vulture species call the sunny, not-so-spooky Golden State home, including the beloved California Condor.
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The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens will pay homage to the critically endangered birds at a special California Condor-themed panel, one that will take place on International Vulture Awareness Day.
The ornithologically minded occasion always alights on the first Saturday in September, so you'll want to soar by the animal park's Witherbee Auditorium Sept. 7 at 7 in the evening.
A ticket is $5 and is available via the zoo's site.
A panel of experts, including conservation professionals, will join the talk, which is titled "California Condors: Adventures Saving the California Condor."
But the California Condor love will spread its wings earlier in the day at different points around the zoo. Families visiting the animal park will find a few feathery activities, including informative keeper talks and other fascinating vulture-centered happenings.
The Los Angeles Zoo has long been a champion of the vulture.
"Vulture populations have plummeted with some species losing up to 90 percent of their populations," shares the zoo team.
The zoo's International Vulture Awareness Day offerings are "... designed to educate and inspire the public to help save these species."
"The L.A. Zoo is proud to be a Program Partner, with other organizations accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, of the SAFE (Saving Animals from Extinction) African Vulture program, which is dedicated to protecting wild vultures in Africa."
Engaging activities will also flower at the zoo the following day, on Sept. 8, in honor of California Biodiversity Day.
