In 2022, five Egyptian Vultures were transported from Lebanon to Prague Zoo to become part of the important captive-breeding program for the species. All these birds had tough luck in life but thanks to international efforts they recovered well and live their new lives. Antonin Vaidl from Prague Zoo – the coordinator of the Egyptian Vulture captive-breeding program, shared some happy news for these Egyptian Vultures: three of the birds have found partners and are ready to breed. One of them even laid two eggs in 2023 which unfortunately did not hatch but hopes are high for a successful breeding season in 2024.
Let us remind you of the background of these Egyptian Vultures:
Anahita is a female born in Bulgaria and tagged by BSPB/BirdLife Bulgaria with a GPS transmitter. She was shot down in Lebanon, but thanks to the immediate response of SPNL/BirdLife Lebanon and the Anti-Poaching Unit, she was saved. Her story thrilled millions of people around the world. Anahita was the first to take the flight from Beirut to Prague, where she underwent another surgery to remove the metal implants from her leg and some of the lead pellets. Today, Anahita is fully recovered, she can now use both legs and is placed in a dating aviary to find a partner and breed.
In September 2021 SPNL’s Anti-Poaching Unit saved three adult Egyptian Vultures, which were illegally held in a farm. One of these individuals was released but the other two remained in captivity. The x-ray examination showed that both individuals had been shot and had lead pellets in their bodies and fractures of the wings; therefore, they could not be released in the wild. With the support of BSPB, these individuals were transported to Prague Zoo in June 2022 to become part of the captive-breeding program for the species, which is coordinated by Antonin Vaidl from Prague Zoo. One of these males found a lovely female and hopefully will breed in the near future.
