TEN ENDANGERED RUPPEL'S VULTURES AND THREE WHITE-HEADED VULTURES BORN AND RAISED
Thanks to a unique collaboration between four zoos, ten highly endangered Rüppell's vultures and three white-headed vultures have hatched. As a result, there are now both Vogelpark Avifauna, Blijdorp Zoo, Beekse Bergen and Amersfoort Zoo to see young vultures. Never before have there been so many youngsters in Dutch zoos: a first!
New arrivals in vultures are important because they are under serious threat in the wild. That is why it is important that zoos build up a reserve stock of endangered species.
More youngsters through substitution trick and cooperation
To achieve this beautiful result, a natural phenomenon has been used. Vultures typically lay one egg per season, but when it is lost, they often lay a second egg. That is why the caretakers in Blijdorp remove the first egg to hatch in the incubator, so that the parents lay a second egg and the chance of having several young of this endangered species increases. In recent years, Blijdorp has gained a lot of experience with this. Avifauna has also applied this method and brought the eggs to the incubator in Blijdorp.
Once the chick hatches it is hand-fed for a few days to keep it fit and strong. Then it returns to the parents and is switched with the second egg which is taken back to the incubator. When the second egg hatches, suitable foster parents are sought for this young. The foster pup is usually raised as their own. Thanks to the cooperation between the zoos, more eggs can be hatched and more foster parents are available. Avifauna and Blijdorp already found each other in this last year.
What is special is that the collaboration has now been expanded with Beekse Bergen and Dierenpark Amersfoort. They successfully made an adoptive pair of griffon vultures available so that a foster young of Rüppells vultures could be taken care of in both gardens. This year in Avifauna, five Rüppellsgieren couples are raising a youngster, including a male couple! Also unique is the pair of white-headed vultures currently raising two of the young at the same time.
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Diergaarde Blijdorp coordinates the population management program of the Rüppells vultures and Avifauna of the white-headed vultures. The coordinator, together with a committee of experts, determines which animals may have offspring and which must be exchanged. It is also determined which zoo the young go to when they grow up. Computer software has been developed for this purpose that analyzes the genetics of the population. In addition, the experts also determine the policy for the long term.
Threat
Vultures are critically endangered in the wild and reproduction in zoos is also difficult for many species. In Africa, the poaching of rhinoceroses and elephants in particular leads to an increase in the mortality of vultures. The poachers poison carcasses to kill vultures that might otherwise betray their illegal activities. They circle above the bait, making it easy for rangers to find the poachers. But vultures are also under serious threat in Asia.
