Seven Egyptian vulture chicks were born at the Centre Threatened Raptors CERM in Rocchette di Fazio (GR) between the end of May and the beginning of July 2021.
The chicks are the offspring of four different couples of Egyptian vultures. All eggs were artificially incubated. Two of them were transferred – shortly before hatching- to the nests of two adult males and the chicks were born there; five eggs, on the other hand, hatched in the incubator with the assistance of the operators.
The first five chicks hatched were raised by the males Alex, Cesare and Primo. Alex is a wild Egyptian vulture that a physical problem with one wing makes it no longer suitable for life in the wild: he was already known to be a good foster father because in previous years he had taken care of several chicks.
For Primo and Cesare, on the other hand, this was their first experience as fathers, moreover, they’re single because their respective partners had been transferred from their ‘home’ aviaries to avoid conflicts, which often occur during this reproductive phase. Both of these Egyptian vultures were born in captivity from the CERM breeding stock. But while Caesar is only 9 years old, Primo is 24 years old and it is remarkable that at this age he was able to mate, breed and raise two chicks perfectly for the first time.
