False sighting of missing vulture

Staff believe the five-year-old will be starting to get hungry

A possible sighting of a vulture that went missing from a zoo eight days ago has proved to be a false alarm.

Bones, an African White-backed vulture, escaped through a hole in the netting of his enclosure at Blackbrook Zoological Park, near Leek.

Reports suggested he was spotted in Norfolk but staff are now focusing on a call from Whiston, north Staffordshire, which they received over the weekend.

Bones stands at 30in (76cm) high and has a wing span of about 11ft (3.3m).

Staff believe the five-year-old will now be starting to get hungry.

Malcolm Mycock, curator, said the bird, which is one of a pair, was not aggressive and would not kill its own prey.

Anyone who sees him is advised not to attempt to catch it.