The breeding of scavengers in Prague will be strengthened by a predator shot in Lebanon
Source Prague ZOO
The Prague Zoo took care of a scavenger vulture who was shot dead in Lebanon on its way from Bulgaria to Africa, but was rescued there by nature conservationists. The fate of the endangered predator named after the Persian goddess Anahita is known for getting into a satellite transmitter in Bulgaria. In Prague, he should eventually participate in a breeding program that can freely live the population of these birds.
There are less than thirty pairs of scavengers in Bulgaria, and Anahita hatched one of them in the spring of 2020. She got a satellite transmitter from local ornithologists before leaving the nest. Thanks to the transmitter, it was discovered that last September, Anahita had stopped in Lebanon on her way to Africa after six days. The local conservationists, together with members of the security forces, found him in a village about 25 kilometers southeast of Beirut, with at least 12 shots in his body.
“Due to the consequences of his injuries, he can no longer return to nature,” said Miroslav Bobek, the director of the Prague Zoo. The Prague Zoo accepted him on January 22, because he has been involved in the breeding and protection of scavengers for a long time. She was unable to return to Bulgaria due to veterinary and administrative obstacles.
“He will now spend a month in quarantine, where he is already undergoing examinations that will determine the next course of treatment,” said Antonín Vaidl, the curator of birds at the Prague Zoo. Anahita’s gender is also determined. Bobek mentioned that, according to estimates by Lebanese conservationists, 2.6 million migratory birds are killed in this country every year.
Prague Zoo is currently the world’s most important breeder of scavengers. He has been keeping a European studbook since 2002 and a European breeding program since 2012, in which nine vultures have returned to the wild so far.
Vaidl is also a member of the supervisory board of the Vulture Protection Foundation, which seeks to protect all four European species of this predator. Among other things, the foundation spreads awareness in the European countries where these birds live, in order to stop the use of poisoned baits, which endanger the scavengers. Under the leadership of the Prague Zoo, permanently handicapped vultures are also placed in partner zoos to strengthen their breeding.
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