Help ZSEA raise money for International Vulture Awareness Day in support of the International Vulture Programme. Join us as we Shave to Save the incredible vultures of the world.

Here at Banham Zoological Gardens, we have 3 different species of vultures, all of which are critically endangered. That's one step away from extinction. We share these magnificent birds with our guests every day in our Birds of the World flying displays, where you can see them soaring over our beautiful arena.

In the last 50 years, we have lost 97% of vultures in the wild which has had a devastating effect across the whole ecosystem. In Africa, this is mainly due to poachers lacing carcasses with poisons. In Asia, farmers will often use drugs such as diclofenac to treat their poorly cattle unknowing to them, its toxicity to vultures. But also, vultures are often electrocuted by powerlines due to an increase in human impact. We can change the future for vultures, but we need your help!

In honour of our very own vultures, were inviting you to Shave to Save with ZSEA! Proving that bald is beautiful, our very own volunteer Rachel will be shaving her head live at Banham Zoological Gardens to raise money for the International Vulture Programme and the projects they support to help protect and preserve these amazing birds in their native countries. The IVP is a multi-partner initiative that focuses on the research and conservation of 8 different species of vulture, spread over south Africa and south Asia. We have 2 of these species here at Banham Zoological Gardens, the African white-backed vulture and the hooded vulture. We're so proud to be supporting this organisation and we're excited for you to be as well.

Now it's your turn to help! The first Saturday of September marks International Vulture Awareness Day, so join us on the 3rd of September as we celebrate the importance of these wonderful birds, as well as raise awareness of the problems they face in the wild. We'll be talking about all things vulture at our Birds of the World display, ending with one of our much-loved carcass feeds. There will be interactive, educational activities available all day for guests to take part in and opportunities to learn all about these incredible birds!

But theres more you can do to help, heres how:

You can sponsor Rachel's #ZSEAShaveToSave here on JustGiving

Fancy braving the shave too? Why not get your own sponsors and join us on the day where we will shave your head in front of the vultures and our audience

Can't join us on the day? That's okay, you can collect your sponsors at home and video your head shaving. Share it with us and well share it across our social media. Don't forget to use the hashtag #ZSEAShaveToSave

Join us on the day for lots of activities and learn even more about these wonderful birds, ask all those questions you've always wanted to know the answers to, and learn what projects the International Vulture Programme are currently supporting.

ZSEA is also proud to support the Little Princess Trust. If you're braving the shave on International Vulture Day, why not see if you can donate your hair to help the Little Princess Trust provide free real hair wigs to children who have lost their own hair through cancer treatments or other conditions. Find out more here .

Keep an eye on our social media for all the ways we will be celebrating this year at the zoo and how you can get involved!