A seven year old girl inspired to help save vultures raises over £200
One year on from a holiday day out, seven year old Summer returned to Paradise Park to present her money tub to the keepers!
Summer’s money tub, and testing out some of the cookies for sale 🙂
Curator David Woolcock explains “A few months ago Summer’s mum Hayley contacted us to ask if her daughter could present the money from her fundraising efforts to the keepers when back in Cornwall in August. We had not known that on a previous visit to the Park, Summer (then aged six) had seen the ‘Eagles of Paradise Display’, in which Tangee a Palm-nut Vulture who is our ambassador giving us an ideal opportunity to explain about the effects of vulture poisoning incidents, which are having a catastrophic effect on wildlife. She had been so taken by the plight of this species that she decided to help and promptly set about fundraising.”
Summer pictured with Tangee the Palm-nut Vulture
Summer said she liked the way the vultures “help save lives” (she means by clearing up carcasses to stop the spread of disease) and raised £201 with “cookie sales and all sorts of sales” during the last year.
The keepers made a special certificate and presented her with gifts during the show and arranged for photographs to record and recognise Summer’s amazing efforts.
David continues “This was an wonderful achievement by Summer and will certainly help save the lives of many vultures. Her donation will go towards the ‘Poison Response Action’ project which Paradise Park already funds, a collaboration between The Hawk Conservancy Trust, Endangered Wildlife Trust and Reading University. Field staff are trained and equipped to neutralise poisoned carcasses and reduce poison-related mortalities, the probability of local populations going extinct is reduced significantly.”
Paradise Park has so far donated £17,600 for the International Vulture Programme.
Find out more about the Poison Response Action project here Hawk Conservancy
Pictured here from left: David holding Tangee, Becky with Bateleur Eagle Angelo, Summer and then Sophie with Bald Eagle Archie.
Summer then went on to enjoy the rest of her day at the Park. Here feeding the little lorikeet parrots at the ‘Flight of the Rainbows’
And below stroking a friendly penguin at the penguin photocall session.