Those visiting the Murrayfield hospital grounds in the west of Edinburgh were in for a bit of a surprise as an escaped vulture had decided to make its way up a tree in the car park.
The cheeky turkey vulture had been taking part in an ‘Animal Antics show’ at Edinburgh Zoo in Corstorphine which looks to show animals behaving naturally outside of their enclosure.
But in a rare circumstance, this particular bird decided to take off from the zoo and visit a tree in the adjacent hospital on the afternoon of Thursday July 21.
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Thankfully it was recovered by a keeper at the zoo on the morning of Friday 22 after enjoying a one night stay off the grounds.
Turkey vultures are known to be “calm birds” and therefore there was no danger to any member of the public.
Darren McGarry, head of living collections at the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland said: "During one of our Animal Antics shows, a turkey vulture flew off into a tree during his free flying time.
“Having made his way to the hospital car park next door, he was returned safely by one of our keepers this morning.
"It is rare for this to happen and would have been an unusual sight for anyone who saw him.
"Turkey vultures are calm birds so he would not have been a danger to the public."
The turkey vulture population can traditionally be found in the Americas and Caribbean, ranging from southern Canada to the southernmost tip of South America.
According to Wikipedia they can inhabit a variety of open and semi-open areas, including subtropical forests, shrublands, pastures and deserts.
They are often seen as a symbol of death in many cultures around the world but can also be seen to represent cleansing and rebirth.
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