The Lakeland District Wildlife Park and a prize-winning artist have joined forces to help protect Africa’s endangered birds of prey.
Sam Robson, 60, has painted and donated a striking portrait of Gonzo, the hooded vulture, to the Wildlife Park – home to the charismatic bird.
The painting is now the top prize in a fundraising raffle, organised by the Wildlife Park, with proceeds going to the International Vulture Programme to raise awareness and provide vital support for conservation efforts.
“When I saw Gonzo swooping low over crowds of visitors – representing his cousins in Africa who are being driven to extinction by elephant poachers – I knew I had to help,” said Sam, who won a Royal Society of Marine Artists’ Award last year and has now turned to wildlife art.
“That feeling only deepened when I heard that Gonzo had lost a toe to frostbite where he lived previously. Gonzo has taught himself to land safely with this disability and is doing good in this world as a charity ambassador, just as I have found ways to survive, walk again and contribute to society after having lost much of my immune system permanently to blood cancer, and acquired five broken vertebrae from the chemotherapy that saved my life.”
The Wildlife Park, located in in Bassenthwaite, fundraises for vultures all year round, but with International Vulture Awareness Day (6 September) around the corner, efforts have intensified.
Proceeds from the prize draw will help equip African rangers with poison-response kits – vital for reducing the impact of contaminated carcasses on wildlife, as park team member Lucy Dunn explained: “The response kits are needed because poachers have realised that when vultures circle above an elephant they have illegally hunted, those birds alert the authorities to their activities. Poachers are now poisoning carcasses to get rid of the vultures permanently.”
The scale of the threat is devastating. In 2019, just three poisoned carcasses killed 537 birds. With vultures producing only one egg a year, populations have plummeted – leading to 85% of Africa’s vultures being lost in the past two decades.
Lucy is optimistic about the raffle’s impact: “I am so excited about Sam’s painting and how it will help us to raise more awareness over the summer. Vultures are the most threatened group of birds in the world, yet they play an essential role – clearing up carcasses that would otherwise become breeding grounds for bacteria, and protecting other wildlife from contagious diseases.”
A ‘meet Gonzo’ experience is included in the raffle’s top prize, with Gonzo merchandise, soft toys and park entry tickets comprising the remaining prizes.
Sam, who is a frequent visitor to the Wildlife Park, will also donate all the proceeds she ever receives for her portrait of Gonzo via her Redbubble print-to-order shop.
“A lot of damage has been done to the vulture population, but these birds are not yet extinct,” the independent artist from Weaverham, Northwich concluded. “There is still a short amount of time left to save them, but only if we take action now.”
To enter the competition, tickets are £5 per entry and can be purchased in person at the Wildlife Park, or by telephoning 01768 776239.
