Detroit Zoo Sends Five Captive Born Vultures to South Africa for Population Efforts
(Detroit Zoo, Dec. 7, 2021)
Royal Oak, MI – For the first time ever, five vultures from the Detroit Zoo have moved to Africa as part of an important conservation program to restore South Africa’s vulture populations. The five captive-born vultures, one lappet-faced vulture named Kassie and four hooded vultures named Mrs. Nasty, Nelly, Fiona and Zeke, will live at VulPro, a nonprofit conservation organization based in South Africa. There they will live with other vultures and breed, and their offspring will be released into the wild.
VulPro is a leader in vulture rehabilitation and conservation, and has more than a decade of experience working with injured, non-releasable vultures to help bolster wild populations. To date, more than 40 captive-born vultures have been released into the wild.
“Nestling vultures stay with their parents at VulPro until they have successfully fledged and are able to feed on a carcass on their own. Then, they move to a large enclosure with other juveniles and wild-born rehabilitated vultures for a month,” says Kerri Wolter, founder of VulPro. “When they’re strong enough to forage and move widely, they’re released to the wild,” added Wolter.
“This is monumental as it will be the first time that African vultures are returning to their native continent from North America,” said Chief Life Sciences Officer Scott Carter. “We are excited to work with VulPro on this groundbreaking initiative and help to restore these endangered species. We will be sharing updates from VulPro on Kassie, Mrs. Nasty, Nelly, Fiona and Zeke, and look forward to someday showing the release of their offspring in the wild in South Africa,” said Carter.
The process to get the vultures to South Africa was extensive. Obtaining the necessary permits from both the United States and South Africa took nearly two years due to pandemic-related delays.
Vultures are some of the most misunderstood and underappreciated birds in the world, and are also some of the most at risk of extinction. Living almost entirely on diets of carrion (dead animals), these scavengers play a crucial role in the world’s ecosystems.
In recent years, vulture populations in many places around the globe have declined drastically as a result of human activities including changes to wild areas and direct persecution. Lappet-faced vultures are classified as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Hooded vultures are listed as critically endangered.
The Detroit Zoological Society – a renowned leader in humane education, wildlife conservation, animal welfare and environmental sustainability – operates the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Center. With an annual regional economic impact of more than $167 million, the Detroit Zoo in Royal Oak is one of Michigan’s largest paid family attractions, hosting more than 1.3 million visitors annually. Its 125 acres of award-winning naturalistic habitats are home to 2,800 animals representing 239 species. The Belle Isle Nature Center sits on a 5-acre site surrounded by undisturbed forested wetlands on Belle Isle State Park in Detroit. For hours, prices, directions and other information, call (248) 541-5717 or visit detroitzoo.org.