Ostrava Zoo raises four Egyptian vulture chicks for release

The Ostrava Zoo in the Czech Republic successfully bred four chicks of the Egyptian vulture, the smallest vulture species in Europe. Two breeding pairs were kept, one in a back‑of‑house enclosure and the other visible to visitors; all four chicks were raised by the parental pair in the zoo rather than being fostered elsewhere. DNA testing showed three males and one female. The young birds have been fitted with identification chips and rings, and zoo staff are discussing their future release to strengthen the wild population in Bulgaria. The effort follows a long‑term conservation program at the zoo, which has been breeding these scavenger birds for decades and aims to support the species’ recovery in the wild.