In conservation, stories of triumph and resilience often emerge from the most challenging circumstances. The protagonists of one such story are two Pyrenean Bearded Vultures (Gypaetus barbatus) and their chick, hatched after numerous trials. The chick is the first individual hatched in captivity within the Bearded Vulture EEP programme coming from a wild Pyrenean bloodline from both parents in nearly 50 years.
A Legacy from the Pyrenees
This incredible story begins with two wild Pyrenean Bearded Vultures (Gypaetus barbatus). Both birds were destined to be wild, but fatalities and illnesses forced them into a captive life.
BG652 – Secundino
Secundino, a male, hatched in 2009 in the breeding centre of La Alfranca (Zaragoza, Spain) managed by the Government of Aragon. His egg was collected from a wild nest as part of FCQ and Aragon government Bearded Vulture conservation project. Once ready, he was released, but shortly after fledging, he showed symptoms of illnesses. After capturing him, the veterinarians diagnosed him with aspergillosis, malaria and avian pox.
Despite the successful treatment that saved his life, his health issues made it impossible for him to be released back into the wild. Thus, in January 2011, he was transferred to the Specialised Bearded Vulture Breeding Unit at the Recovery Centre Vallcalent in Lleida.
Torla
Torla, a female, had her own heartbreaking journey. She was found limping at Cenarbe feeding station (Huesca, Aragon, Spain) in 2010. The Fundación para la Conservación del Quebrantahuesos (FCQ) staff rescued her and entrusted her to the La Alfranca Recovery Centre (Zaragoza, Spain). At just one year old, Torla underwent surgery on her left leg. Despite the treatment, she was declared unrealisable and ceded to the Specialised Bearded Vulture Breeding Unit at the Recovery Centre Vallcalent in June 2010.
Torla and Secundino shared the aviary since Secundino’s arrival in the Vallcalent Breeding Unit in 2011, and they quickly become inseparable. This was already something peculiar about this pair, since Bearded Vultures are very selective with their partners.
Trials and tribulations
Bearded Vultures reach sexual maturity around 5-7 years of age but breeding them in captivity is a delicate process. Though they began mating and building nests in 2014, Torla and Secundino faced significant challenges from the very beginning.
Torla laid her first egg in 2018. Sadly, the egg was found in pieces, some of which had blood vessels confirming that the egg was fertile.
Over the next four breeding seasons, despite the pair building a nest and mating, Torla did not lay any more eggs. The team suspected she had fertility issues. They had a harrowing decision to make: whether to separate the pair in hopes that Secundino could successfully breed with another female. This was not an easy choice, as they were not only a close and balanced couple, but also a great pair in terms of genetic.
Before making the final call, the team offered the pair dummy eggs, to check their parental instinct. Surprisingly, in 2021, after Secundino adopted dummy eggs over multiple breeding seasons, Torla also showed interest in them. A Bearded Vulture male adopting a dummy egg is a normal behaviour in captive-breeding centres. On the other hand, Torla’s behaviour was quite exceptional for her species: females accept and incubate an egg only when they have laid.
A leap of faith
Torla’s strong instinct for breeding convinced the Vallcalent team to give her another chance. The breeding season of 2022/2023 brought a glimmer of hope when Torla finally laid an egg. Alas, the pair stopped incubating and when the team decided to intervene removing the egg, it was rotten.
Finally, on 12 January 2024, Torla laid an egg. This time, the team took no chances. They took the egg and incubated it, giving the pair a dummy one. The egg was very pigmented, so the usual check with the ovoscope was not successful. After a month of artificial incubation, without knowing if the egg was indeed vital, a test with the laseroscope detected the embryo moving inside the egg. Torla and Secundino had made their little miracle after all!
BG1230, Torla and Secundino’s chick, hatched at the beginning of March with the help of the Vallcalent team. Given the chick’s value and the risk associated with inexperienced parents, it was decided to place BG1230 with Joseph (26 years old) and Marie Antoinette (35 years old), the most experienced pair in the breeding unit. This seasoned duo welcomed BG1230 with open wings, raising the chick with the utmost care and attention.
A bright new beginning
Torla and Secondino deserved a chance to raise a chick too after all they had been through. Providentially, a pair from Torreferrusa Recovery Centre (Barcelona, Spain) laid two eggs. Bearded Vulture pair usually raise only one chick per breeding season. Therefore, BG1212, the Torreferrusa second chick, was entrusted to Torla and Secundino.
Not only the pair successfully adopted BG1212, but they proved to be excellent parents. They took diligent care of their adopted chick, not leaving it alone for a moment.
The future of the captive-breeding Bearded Vulture programme
In 1978 the indigenous Bearded Vulture population in Europe was facing severe threats. Consequently, the Bearded Vulture Reintroduction Project started in the Alps. It aimed to restore the species in the region by releasing captive-bred birds into the wild. The only viable option at the time was to raise and reintroduce offspring from pairs living in European zoos. Between 1978 and 1985, this collaborative effort led to the formation of the European breeding network, which paved the way for the EEP.
As we look to the future, Torla and Secundino’s journey reminds us of the importance of persistence, care, and the unwavering dedication to conservation projects. The hatching of their chick, BG1230, represents a historic achievement for the programme. We are all extremely proud of the two parents and the teams that took care of them.
Pyrenean genetic is very under-represented within the EEP Bearded Vultures Breeding Network. Before Torla and Secundino, all Pyrenean Bearded Vultures within the programme were paired with bird of Asian, or partially Asian, bloodlines. BG1230 is the first chick in nearly 50 years of Bearded Vultures breeding programme in EEP to descend from a wild Pyrenean bloodline.
This success story, almost like a fairy-tale, is not just about one chick. It highlights the indefatigable efforts put in place to preserve this majestic species, and, from a broader perspective, to take care of biodiversity. BG1230 is a symbol of hope and resilience. We will continue to follow its progresses and we wish his parents, Torla and Secundino, a long and successful breeding career to support the European Bearded Vultures population.
