Vulture Culture Archive

Past editions of the on-line monthly newsletter of REST

This Edition Published 5/14/02

REST was incredibly lucky last month when we received a call from a Canadian traveler in Namibia named Christina Nick.  She had just returned from Etosha National Park where she had read about the efforts of REST to save the Cape Vulture.  She is a talented scrap metal and multi media artist.  She completed the design of a flying vulture using a picture Maria had taken of a Waterberg bird at takeoff with metal she found laying around African Wilderness Trails and Cheetah Conservation Fund.  The sculpture now stands proudly in front of the aviaries.  Once the sculpture was completed she turned to drawing and to date has finished about 20 drawings of the non-releasable birds.  She sits for hours in the aviary with paper and drawing tools and catches the birds in all of their poses.  She has completely donated all of her work to REST for it's use in raising funds.  On top of being talented she is just plan fun and everyone who has come into contact with her loves her.  I don't know how REST can thank her enough for all of her contributions.
 
Dr. Chris Brown surprised Maria during a phone call when he announced that The Namibia Nature Foundation would pledge sponsorship for one of the satellite collars that needs to be bought.  Ned and Diana Twining have already sponsored one collar and The Waterberg Vulture Camp's, Christa Diekmann, has sponsored a partial collar.  ONLY 8 1/2 COLLARS TO GO!!!
 
Maria will be traveling to South Africa in April for the Vulture Study Group conference.  This is a group of regional directors working with vultures in Southern Africa.  We look forward to sharing information on the meeting when we return.

The staff at REST is now working with with Raleigh International who has accepted us for their conservation programs.  They are a youth organization based out of the UK and are building the viewing and photographic hide and extending the aviaries and building cliffs for the captive vultures.  Work should be completed by June.

Thanks to the visitors from the San Francisco area who enjoyed vultures and cheetahs and shopping for REST hats and shirts and just supporting the Trust in general.

Thanks to the members of the Vulture Study Group for another year of great work and a successful yearly meeting.  Namibia looks forward to hosting next years meeting.  First time in Namibia.