The young Egyptian vultures Clint, Birba, Fabio and Zoe were released in Basilicata on August 15, 2020 thanks to a release procedure organized by the CERM Association, ISPRA and the Biodiversity company.
The four vultures, born in captivity at the CERM Centro Rapaci Threatened, remained for five days in a nest box located in the Murgia Materana Natural Park, inside an additional feeding station for birds of prey (or carnage). which is both guarded and on line videocontrolled.
This same structure had welcomed, for a short period of acclimatization, 10 other Egyptian vultures who had been released in the years 2018 and 2019.
The vultures released in 2020 are not the same age: Fabio was born in 2018, Zoe in 2019 while Clint and Birba were born in 2020. The long-term goal of freeing animals of different ages is to understand which age offers the greatest chance of survival.
At the opening of the box-nest, Zoe, Fabio and Birba immediately stranded away while Clint, the youngest of the four, enjoyed for another day in blissful solitude the house with a view of the carnage before deciding to conquer freedom.
The movements made by the animals are followed in real time by the experts of ISPRA, Biodiversità sas and the CERM Association both by direct observation and by the reception of signals from the GPS/ GSM of which they are equipped. The monitoring tools were donated by the VCF Vulture Conservation Foundation to the CERM Association.
To facilitate the adaptation to the wildlife of the four small vultures, food and water are made available to them both at the release site and at other points in the area.
To prevent episodes of disturbance and poaching the Forestry Carabinieri carry out control activities of the area, under an agreement with ISPRA; the surveillance of animals will then be intensified in the areas of migration and, in particular, in the province of Trapani. In this area, which is at high risk of poaching, in September 2018 was killed a young vulture born in captivity (Clara) who had been released in Basilicata the previous month.
