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Griffon vulture Zivka has been released in Bulgaria
Vulture Zivak has been released into Central Balkan National Park. After spending several months in a wenvolière, the Eindhoven Zoo-born bird of prey was released in late August.
Zivka's reintroduction is part of a special program aimed at increasing the population of griffon vultures in Bulgaria. Stephan Rijnen, head zookeeper, was involved in Zivka's project on behalf of Eindhoven Zoo: "It is wonderful that we as a zoo can actively support species conservation in this way. We therefore hope that in time she will provide for even more griffon vultures in the wild," Rijnen let us know.
Together with Green Balkans and Stichting Wildlife, Eindhoven Zoo is working on the reintroduction of the vulture in Bulgaria. Ilse Schoutens of Stichting Wildlife says, "We are thrilled that Zivka has been reintroduced to Bulgaria. With the help of our contribution, Green Balkans can continue to carry out projects like this, to ensure the conservation and increase of the vulture population in Bulgaria."
Wenvolière
Zivka arrived in Bulgaria on November 27, 2021. She first stayed here in a waking aviary in the "Sinite Kamani" National Park. Together with other vultures, she spent time here getting used to the environment. Here she also learned how to start feeding in the nature reserve. She was then moved to a wetting aviary in Central Balkan National Park to acclimate to the environment, from where she was released with others in late August.
Almost extinct
In Bulgaria, several European vulture species, including the griffon vulture, are close to extinction. They fell victim to poisoned carcasses, which farmers laid down to chase away bears and wolves. This reduced the population of the raptors considerably since 1970.
Green Balkans is committed to fighting extinction and increasing the population of these animals in the wild. The organization does this by providing education and addresses the causes of mortality. In addition, they reintroduce vultures into their natural habitat. Thanks in part to their efforts, conditions in Bulgaria have improved greatly in recent years. As a result, the vultures can once again fly around safely.
Want to know more about the project? Readhere more!