Freedom of the skies given to captive vultures

IT has been a long and hard journey requiring patience and perseverance to give back the freedom of the open skies to captive bred and rehabilitated vultures in Namibia.

Since October 2005, this dream has no longer been a flight of fancy but a successful reality – that was when the first 13 Cape Griffons were released. Two more have since then been released.Three of the released birds have never flown properly before, while the rest were adult wild birds brought into captivity because of minor injuries or poisoning.They had recovered sufficiently and deemed 100 per cent fit for release.”The exciting news is that not only are they doing well, but they have also begun breeding,” said Maria Diekmann of the Rare & Endangered Species Trust (REST).She has been spearheading the groundbreaking work from the REST headquarters north of Otjiwarongo for the past seven years.EYES IN THE SKY Two of the 13 birds were fitted with satellite telemetry to track their movements on a daily basis.A captive-raised female of five years and an adult wild, rehabilitated male were chosen.Both have recorded great distances within the country.The male has never returned to the REST feeding site.The female spent the first six months in central and northern areas of the country and the last six months in the South before she decided in May to return to REST.Diekmann explains that, as a seven-year-old the female has reached breeding age, and three weeks after her arrival a young, captive-raised male, also seven years old, returned, and they started breeding on top of the aviary – the same one where they were held for most of their time at REST.An egg was laid in June, but the breeding pair unfortunately abandoned the nest after three days.Diekmann discovered the egg had fallen through the sticks of the nest and they could no longer reach it.The nest was fixed, but when they had not returned after 30 minutes the egg was removed and put into an incubator.Diekmann will have to wait 52 to 55 days for the egg to incubate, and only after day 40 might she be able to confirm whether it has a chick.The egg requires a lot of work and needs to be turned every two hours between six in the morning and ten at night.Diekmann was hoping they would lay a second egg when the pair started adding to the nest after the egg was removed, but they had flown off.They began building a nest on a local farm shed, but moved again and since then the new nest had not yet been discovered.She is requesting anyone who might have noticed the birds or their nest on top of a shed or somewhere to let her know immediately.SUCCESS STORIES There are two more success stories from the released birds.Dragon Rider, one of the historical Cape Griffon wild population in Namibia, also fitted with a satellite transponder, appeared to have been breeding and nesting with a White Backed Vulture for years.”He moved back to the Waterberg cliffs this year and now appears to be nesting with one of the released adult female rehabilitated Cape Vultures from South Africa,” said Diekmann.It was always assumed the male was nesting with the White Backed because of a lack of female Cape Griffons.The third success involves a young captive-raised Cape Griffon named Nesher (Hebrew for vulture) of four years.He was released in March last year, but until recently had never left the REST headquarters for any length of time.In June he undertook two major flights of more than 100 km and appears to be doing well.According to Diekmann, he has twice stopped for food at farmhouses.He can be recognised by the coloured rings on his legs: left leg is two green bands and metal and the right leg has three yellow rings.Diekmann asks that people who spot him should please let her know.”You can leave him a chunk of meat outside your farm gates and away from dogs and then leave him to fly away if you cannot reach us.”She emphasised that there was nothing to be afraid of when it came to Nesher, and said he would increase his independence over time if he is free to explore.She asked the public to support the effort and not be afraid of the bird.REST started as a local awareness project when Diekmann discovered the Cape Griffon was on the brink of extinction in Namibia with only 11 birds left.In 2003 the first translocation of rehabilitated and captive bred Cape Griffons was started from South Africa to Namibia.This was done in partnership with the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust.The birds are held for between 1,5 to 2,5 years in specially designed release aviaries adjacent to where up to 1 000 vultures are fed per week.”The site is ideal as it overlooks the Waterberg Plateau Park cliffs where the last roosting Cape Griffons remain,” says Diekmann.The released birds therefore get to socialise with the wild vultures.GROUNDBREAKING REST is today recognised as a pioneer and world leader in the fight for the survival of vultures, and was the first ever facility to fit a Cape Griffon with a satellite collar in 2004.Six birds have since been fitted with the generous support of sponsors.The telemetry information is providing valuable information to vulture experts as they are able to learn so much more about flying habits, breeding, parenting skills and especially distances covered and flying speeds.Two more have since then been released.Three of the released birds have never flown properly before, while the rest were adult wild birds brought into captivity because of minor injuries or poisoning.They had recovered sufficiently and deemed 100 per cent fit for release.”The exciting news is that not only are they doing well, but they have also begun breeding,” said Maria Diekmann of the Rare & Endangered Species Trust (REST).She has been spearheading the groundbreaking work from the REST headquarters north of Otjiwarongo for the past seven years. EYES IN THE SKY Two of the 13 birds were fitted with satellite telemetry to track their movements on a daily basis.A captive-raised female of five years and an adult wild, rehabilitated male were chosen.Both have recorded great distances within the country.The male has never returned to the REST feeding site.The female spent the first six months in central and northern areas of the country and the last six months in the South before she decided in May to return to REST.Diekmann explains that, as a seven-year-old the female has reached breeding age, and three weeks after her arrival a young, captive-raised male, also seven years old, returned, and they started breeding on top of the aviary – the same one where they were held for most of their time at REST.An egg was laid in June, but the breeding pair unfortunately abandoned the nest after three days.Diekmann discovered the egg had fallen through the sticks of the nest and they could no longer reach it.The nest was fixed, but when they had not returned after 30 minutes the egg was removed and put into an incubator.Diekmann will have to wait 52 to 55 days for the egg to incubate, and only after day 40 might she be able to confirm whether it has a chick.The egg requires a lot of work and needs to be turned every two hours between six in the morning and ten at night. Diekmann was hoping they would lay a second egg when the pair started adding to the nest after the egg was removed, but they had flown off.They began building a nest on a local farm shed, but moved again and since then the new nest had not yet been discovered.She is requesting anyone who might have noticed the birds or their nest on top of a shed or somewhere to let her know immediately. SUCCESS STORIES There are two more success stories from the released birds.Dragon Rider, one of the historical Cape Griffon wild population in Namibia, also fitted with a satellite transponder, appeared to have been breeding and nesting with a White Backed Vulture for years.”He moved back to the Waterberg cliffs this year and now appears to be nesting with one of the released adult female rehabilitated Cape Vultures from South Africa,” said Diekmann.It was always assumed the male was nesting with the White Backed because of a lack of female Cape Griffons.The third success involves a young captive-raised Cape Griffon named Nesher (Hebrew for vulture) of four years.He was released in March last year, but until recently had never left the REST headquarters for any length of time.In June he undertook two major flights of more than 100 km and appears to be doing well.According to Diekmann, he has twice stopped for food at farmhouses.He can be recognised by the coloured rings on his legs: left leg is two green bands and metal and the right leg has three yellow rings.Diekmann asks that people who spot him should please let her know.”You can leave him a chunk of meat outside your farm gates and away from dogs and then leave him to fly away if you cannot reach us.”She emphasised that there was nothing to be afraid of when it came to Nesher, and said he would increase his independence over time if he is free to explore.She asked the public to support the effort and not be afraid of the bird.REST started as a local awareness project when Diekmann discovered the Cape Griffon was on the brink of extinction in Namibia with only 11 birds left.In 2003 the first translocation of rehabilitated and captive bred Cape Griffons was started from South Africa to Namibia.This was done in partnership with the De Wildt Cheetah and Wildlife Trust.The birds are held for between 1,5 to 2,5 years in specially designed release aviaries adjacent to where up to 1 000 vultures are fed per week.”The site is ideal as it overlooks the Waterberg Plateau Park cliffs where the last roosting Cape Griffons remain,” says Diekmann.The released birds therefore get to socialise with the wild vultures.GROUNDBREAKING REST is today recognised as a pioneer and world leader in the fight for the survival of vultures, and was the first ever facility to fit a Cape Griffon with a satellite collar in 2004.Six birds have since been fitted with the generous support of sponsors.The telemetry information is providing valuable information to vulture experts as they are able to learn so much more about flying habits, breeding, parenting skills and especially distances covered and flying speeds.