What an amazing day! Yesterday we celebrated at Vogelpark Avifauna the official opening of our brand new vulture valley. Over 400 guests were present at this festive occasion, in honor of the 75th anniversary of our park. Mayor Peter Rehwinkel and our director John de Hoon had the honor to reveal the Zulu name of the valley: Umvikeli, meaning 'protector'.
The opening of the Vulture Valley is an important milestone for our park. This impressive aviary of over 2000 m² provides a home to the critically endangered group of Rüppell's vultures, rescued by Avifauna. The vultures were intercepted when they were being illegally traded and were brought to Avifauna at the request of the Italian government. Rüppell's vultures are critically endangered and play a crucial role in the ecosystem by clearing carcasses, which helps prevent diseases.
The vultures live here together with white-headed vultures, hooded vultures and Egyptian vultures. Many other special African birds such as hoopoes, secretary birds and three-coloured glossy starlings also inhabit the area. From the lookout point, the African lodge, visitors are literally in the middle of the aviary. Here visitors learn more about our five ideal objectives: Bird rescue, Research, Biodiversity, Nature conservation and Education.
It is a wonderful example of how Avifauna continues to innovate and invest in animal welfare. We hope to welcome you soon to our new vulture valley, where you can admire these majestic birds up close and learn more about their important role in nature.
