site.btaEleven Young Egyptian Vultures Released to Live in Wilderness

Conservationists are preparing eleven young Egyptian vultures for release into the wild, the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) announced on Thursday. This is the largest group of young Egyptian vultures that is about to start a new life in freedom. Two of the birds were donated to Bulgaria by the British organization Horstmann Trust, two others were hatched at the Ostrava Zoo. The rest were hatched and raised at the Green Balkans Wildlife Rescue Center. The training takes place at the organization's so-called Vulture School near the village of Potochnitsa in the Eastern Rhodopes.  

Vulture School is a program coordinated by the BSPB and implemented in close cooperation with Green Balkans, the Prague Zoo and the European Association of Zoos and Aquariums, the organization said. The program aims to prepare Egyptian vultures hatched in captivity for life in the wild. For two months, the birds live under supervision in a large aviary, observe their wild counterparts living around it, learn what food they will find in nature, how to perch on trees and practice their flying skills. In the first weeks after their release, they will be monitored by BSPB experts and volunteers. Tagging with satellite transmitters will allow monitoring of the birds. 

Egyptian vultures are one of the most endangered species in nature. Globally, they are more at risk of extinction than the giant panda. Only 36 pairs currently nest in Bulgaria, the society said.