The Egyptian vulture Project

 

Will Egyptian vulture survive in Italy? This dramatic question captures the delicate situation of this small vulture, holding since a long time the sad record of the most threatened bird of prey in Italy.

Every year its extinction seems closer, almost inexorable. In 2015 there were only seven breeding pairs, concentrated in Sicily and Basilicata. The Egyptian Vulture Project (Progetto Capovaccaio), ran by CERM NGO, puts in place some practical conservation measures in an attempt to prevent the loss of the species:

  • development of captive breeding techniques, in order to get young individuals to be used for restocking operations (release into the wild) and to increase the available breeding stock (an invaluable genetic reservoir);
  • release into the wild of captive born chicks, thanks to the cooperation with Italian and European authorities, institutions and associations;
  • management of supplementary feeding points in sensitive areas.

 

In 2015 the CERM NGO Association has received a specific assignment from the Italian Ministry of Environment to manage the captive breeding at the CERM Center Threatened Raptors in Rocchette di Fazio (GR) (southern Tuscany), and to perform the release operations in Italy.