A wildlife foundation has axed its bird of prey displays this week, fearing it will be too hot - even for the vultures.

Eagle Heights Wildlife Foundation, in Eynsford, has made the decision to cancel shows up until Sunday while an amber weather warning is in place.

The not for profit organisation, one of the biggest bird of prey centres in the UK, usually has two displays per day – one at noon and one at 3.30pm - featuring owls, eagles and vultures.

Micaela Burr, who is the PR and media officer at Eagle Heights, said the heat is already affecting the animals.

She said: "We have cancelled our twice daily flying displays along with all of our bird and husky experiences for this week due to the predicted temperatures."

Temperatures are expected to reach up to 32 degrees this weekend across Kent.

The centre has a number of birds that usually live in hotter climates, such as vultures, but the warm weather is proving to be too much even for them.

Vultures are native to hot continents such as Africa, where countries can average at up to 33 degrees.

Micaela said: "The birds we have that originate from Africa actually enjoy sunbathing as their preen glad produces a precursor to vitamin D, which they spread on their feathers which is then converted to vitamin D by sunlight and absorbed through the skin.

"However, of course, the birds here have acclimatised to our weather so we keep an eye on them alongside our other species."

The foundation has been rescuing sick and injured birds since it opened in 1996, and also has huskies, alpacas and meerkats.

Despite an expected loss of business due to cancellations, the centre says the welfare of its animals and safety of its staff and visitors is paramount and that they must act responsibly under the circumstances.

It has cancelled roughly 200 experiences this week, as well as nine overnight stays – the total adding up to a loss of roughly £9,800.

Micaela said: "We will be rescheduling these with our customers who have all been very understanding and supportive of our decision which we very much appreciate, however, this means that these bookings will now take up slots in future months which would have otherwise been booked by other customers.

"At times like these we ensure that all our enclosures offer ample shade, our keepers are regularly checking to ensure our birds and animals are not stressed by the heat, water bowls are kept topped up and we break out the frozen treats."