IT was a night of close encounters when a vulture visited a wildlife centre during a conservation event.

Gonzo, a hooded vulture, made a trip to the Belfairs Woodland Centre, in Eastwood Road North, with Nigel and Mollie King from the Kent Owl Academy.

The father and daughter duo were giving a talk to an audience of about 30 people about their vulture conservation work.

Greg Borgartz, centre manager, said: "It all went very well, we had a good turnout of people.

"Mollie and Nigel do a lot of displays with us here, which are always entertaining.

"So we had them back for the talk about vultures and how they are under threat of extinction in the wild and what we can do to combat that.

"They bought Gonzo along, who is quite photographic and lovely.

"It was a brilliant evening, he is one of the smaller types of vulture, not particularly big or scary and he just ran around for little bits of meat they kept feeding him so everyone could have a proper look."

The event was aimed at adults due to the serious topic but Mollie and Nigel are due to return to the centre on April 12 with more birds of prey for family-friendly displays.

Find out more at essexwt.org.uk/events