The discovery, securing and confiscation of the birds, followed by the demanding administrative, transport and veterinary procedures that ultimately led to their successful rescue, were the result of several years of efforts by dozens of people in five countries. As the EEP coordinator for the species, Prague Zoo highlights its cooperation with the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB), the Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon (SPNL), the Syrian Society for the Conservation of Wildlife (SSCW) and BirdLife International Middle East (BLIME).

“At Prague Zoo, we like to say that nature conservation should know no national borders, and this success is an example of putting that idea into practice. Thanks to the support of local authorities, the efforts of conservationists and long-term cooperation with our Bulgarian colleagues, who coordinate these unprecedented transfers of injured birds of prey to Europe, these almost cinematic stories tend to have happy endings,” says Prague Zoo Curator of Birds and EEP coordinator Antonín Vaidl.

The Egyptian vulture is the only migratory vulture species in Europe. During its annual migration from breeding grounds in southern Europe to wintering grounds in Africa, it undertakes a journey of up to 5,000 km. Many birds die after colliding with power lines or wind turbines, while others are illegally captured or simply shot. Thanks to cooperation between local conservationists and experienced zoological institutions, rescued individuals are given a second chance at life in zoos. Their genetic contribution also provides a valuable boost to the captive population.

The chick at just three days old. Photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

Male Brok was found by SPNL rangers in September 2021. He had been illegally kept on a farm in Lebanon together with two other vultures. While one of the three was released back into the wild, the other two males—Brok and a vulture known as Loki—had healed fractures in their wings and shotgun pellets embedded in their bodies, meaning they could not be returned to the wild.

With support from its Bulgarian colleagues, Prague Zoo managed to transport both vultures to Prague in June 2022. There, they gradually recovered from their injuries. The other male, Loki, was transferred to France in April 2023 to strengthen the captive population of Egyptian vultures there, while Brok remained in Prague. “I removed three pellets from his body; another six will most likely remain there for the rest of his life. They are encapsulated, and surgery would be risky,” explains veterinarian Helena Vaidlová.

The blood lead levels of the rescued vultures are gradually falling. “We do not yet know how much lead affects reproduction—in other words, what level is associated with reduced fertility and impaired embryo development. This is all the subject of further testing. We have no comparison from abroad, as this is the first large-scale study of its kind in this species,” Vaidlová adds, highlighting the research role of modern zoos alongside their conservation work.

As to the mother of the current chick, Bulgarian colleagues first informed their counterparts about her in autumn 2021. She had been captured in Syria together with another young vulture during her migration in 2019 or 2020. In 2021, the two vultures were found in an illegal captive facility and subsequently confiscated thanks to the efforts of SSCW and BLIME. The young vulture recovered and was released back into the wild, but the adult female had a problem with her wing. Lengthy negotiations over her export to the European Union and inclusion in the EEP eventually bore fruit: the Syrian Ministry of Environment supported the transfer, while the Bulgarian BSPB provided the funding.

The female was named Qalamoon after the mountain range on the Lebanese-Syrian border. She was transported to Prague from Damascus via Beirut and Istanbul. She became not only the first vulture from Syria to strengthen the European population in human care, but also the first bird from that country ever to enter the EEP. However, when she arrived in September 2022, she showed signs of infection and arthritis in her left wing as a result of an untreated injury. Once her condition had improved and she had completed a month of quarantine, she was placed in a pair-forming aviary. This is where vultures, as in the wild, choose a suitable mate. From a human perspective, they can be surprisingly choosy.

The mother of the current chick, the female Qalamoon, who was brought from Syria. Pictured in September 2022 in the transport crate in which she travelled to the Czech Republic. Photo: Antonín Vaidl, Prague Zoo

The two Middle Eastern survivors, Brok and Qalamoon, took a liking to each other. This year, the female unexpectedly laid a fertilised egg directly in the pair-forming aviary. Because the location was unsuitable and the contents of the egg were so valuable, it was transferred to an incubator. The chick hatched on 12 July and, because the pair was inexperienced, was fostered by the experienced female Debora, who had already taken on the role of foster mother in the past. At the same time, the chick was hand-fed using a puppet designed to imitate the head of an adult Egyptian vulture. This tried-and-tested method prevents harmful imprinting on the keeper’s face.

The chick is male and has been named Kali by his keepers. His valuable genetic contribution will eventually strengthen the captive population at another European zoo. His parents, who have started a new life at Prague Zoo, will remain here and, with a little luck, produce more offspring.

Kali’s current appearance (in the foreground) already resembles that of an adult. However, he will not acquire the complete adult plumage until the beginning of the next decade. Photo: Petr Hamerník, Prague Zoo

With 40 chicks hatched, Prague Zoo is one of the most successful breeders of the Egyptian vulture, the smallest and most endangered vulture species in Europe. Alongside its captive breeding programme, it has also long supported the reintroduction of this bird of prey into the wild. In cooperation with the non-profit organisation Green Balkans, it has already released 13 Egyptian vultures reared at Prague Zoo in Bulgaria’s Eastern Rhodope Mountains.

More about Prague Zoo’s Egyptian vulture conservation efforts can be found on this website.

A veterinary examination of vultures brought from Lebanon, carried out by bird curator Antonín Vaidl and veterinarian Helena Vaidlová. (The photograph is illustrative; it shows a different Egyptian vulture transported from Lebanon. It is therefore not the chick’s father, male Brok.) Photo: Tereza Mrhálková, Prague Zoo