Two Egyptian vultures rescued from illegal captivity raised a chick at Prague Zoo
Brok, rescued from a Lebanese farm in 2021, and Qalamoon, found at an illegal wildlife facility, became parents at Prague Zoo when their chick Kali hatched on 12 July. Neither parent can return to the wild, but Kali joins Europe's breeding program.
By Diego Callegari, Editor
· 2 min read
Source: Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL) ↗
Two endangered Egyptian vultures that were rescued from illegal captivity in the Middle East have become parents at Prague Zoo, the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL) said on 14 October. Their chick, a male named Kali, hatched on 12 July.
A farm in Lebanon and a facility in Syria
The father, Brok, was found by SPNL rangers in September 2021, kept illegally on a farm in Lebanon with two other vultures. He had old wing fractures and shotgun pellets in his body. In June 2022, with help from BSPB (BirdLife Bulgaria), he was moved to Prague Zoo.
The mother, Qalamoon, was captured illegally in Syria in 2019 or 2020 and found at an illegal wildlife facility in 2021. A serious wing injury meant she could never be released. In September 2022 she travelled via Lebanon and Istanbul to Prague, becoming the first Egyptian vulture taken from Syria to Europe and included in the European breeding program, according to SPNL.
Raised by a foster mother and a puppet
Because Brok and Qalamoon had no experience raising young, Kali was raised by a foster female, Debora. Keepers fed him with a puppet shaped like an adult vulture's head, so that he would not become used to humans. SPNL says his future role will be decided through the breeding program.
Why every chick counts in the Balkans
Egyptian vultures have declined fast in southeastern Europe. A rapid fall over the past 20 years led to the species being listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List, and only about 80 pairs remain in the Balkans, according to an EU LIFE project page. Poisoning, persecution and electrocution along the migration route through the Middle East and Africa are among the main threats.
Zoo-bred birds help fill the gap. Prague Zoo has hatched 40 Egyptian vulture chicks, and 13 zoo-bred vultures have been released in Bulgaria's Eastern Rhodope Mountains with BSPB and Green Balkans, SPNL said.
More releases are planned. A new EU-funded project, LIFE EV Safe Return, will release at least 40 young Egyptian vultures and protect their route to Africa, tracking them with GPS transmitters. SPNL has not said whether Kali himself will be among the birds eventually released into the wild.
Sources
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