Carlsbad park celebrating vultures

CARLSBAD, N.M. (AP) - Carlsbad's Living Desert Zoo and Gardens State Park will celebrate vultures on Saturday.

Planned events will include a presention about vultures, demonstrations about the birds, a reading of a children's book called "Vinnie the Vulture" and arts and crafts for children.

The Carlsbad Current-Argus says the southeastern New Mexico city is home to a large number of turkey vultures that arrive in early spring and leave in the fall.

Living Desert docent Susan Young says the park has a resident vulture.

She says that although his name is Festus, she calls him "Vinnie" after the vulture in the book she wrote and illustrated.

Living Desert has scheduled its events as part of International Vulture Awareness Day.

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Information from: Carlsbad Current-Argus , http://www.currentargus.com/