Griffon vulture hatched at Eindhoven Zoo

A griffon vulture was born in Eindhoven Zoo this month. After incubating for 50 days, the youngster hatched and was found to be a male. The chick has been named Stanislav.

Social
Although it seems like this species of raptor moves slowly, the griffon vulture can reach speeds of up to 70 kilometers per hour. It can travel hundreds of kilometers in a day. The vulture species is very social: it hunts in groups and breeds in colonies.

Once a year, the griffon vulture lays an egg, which is then hatched by both parents. A pair stays together throughout their lives.

Release into the wild
The European vulture species griffon vulture, bearded vulture and monk vulture are almost extinct in Bulgaria. This is due in part to poisoned carcasses, which farmers laid down to scare away bears and wolves. As a result, the population of the three European vulture species has declined significantly since 1970. Green Balkans is committed to stopping the extinction of these vultures.

The organization works to maintain and increase the population of the three different species of vultures. They do this by releasing vultures into their natural habitats, but also by addressing the factors that cause the vultures to die. In cooperation with Green Balkans, Eindhoven Zoo has already released a griffon vulture twice in Bulgaria. In the future, we will see if Stanislav can also contribute to increasing the population of griffon vultures in their natural habitat in Bulgaria.