In the early 20th century, the bearded vulture – one of the world’s largest birds of prey – was hunted to extinction in the Alps, partly due to locals’ superstitious beliefs about the raptor. But recently, the birds have reappeared, flying high over the mountain range in France. This summer, a record of 35 bearded vulture chicks are expected to leave their nests and take to the skies to patrol their mountain home, representing one of the most successful wildlife comebacks of recent times.
The dramatic return is owed to a successful captive breeding and reintroduction project that began in the late 1980s. There are now a total of 250 birds, including 50 breeding pairs of bearded vultures in the Alps. Key to the project’s success has been the 100 captive vultures in the breeding centers throughout Europe, which in turn are providing birds to be returned to the wild.
