Vulture is on the loose in Essex

Experts are trying to round up an escaped vulture called Guinevere, who is refusing to come down from a tree.

The bird flew away during a training session, and is now roosting in a garden a few miles from her home at a wildlife centre in Ferrers, Essex.

Her keepers have tried to tempt her down to earth with her favourite snack of dead rabbits, but so far she has refused to take the bait.

Keeper Lucy Murray said: "We can see her - she's sitting in a tree."

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After making her daring escape, Guinevere who is 80cm tall and has a wing span of 1.5m, moved into an oak tree on farmland and is refusing to budge.

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Ms Murray said: "There isn't anyone at home and we don't know whose land it is. Someone's going to be in for a shock when they come back."

Keepers at the Tropical Wings World of Wildlife say Guinevere's mate, another black vulture named Lancelot, is also "missing her terribly".

'No threat'

Bird experts say the bird of prey is not a risk to pets or people, because she has been hand-reared and won't try and eat anything still living.

Guinevere hasn't eaten for a while, so her keepers are hoping that hunger will eventually drive her home.