{"id":39598,"date":"2025-02-21T19:14:25","date_gmt":"2025-02-21T17:14:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/?p=39598"},"modified":"2025-05-05T15:46:39","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T12:46:39","slug":"joseph-and-marie-antoinette-a-bearded-vulture-pair-like-no-other","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/blog\/joseph-and-marie-antoinette-a-bearded-vulture-pair-like-no-other\/","title":{"rendered":"Joseph and Marie Antoinette \u2013 A Bearded Vulture pair like no other\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

Among the many remarkable Bearded Vulture (<\/em>Gypaetus barbatus)<\/em><\/a> pairs in our captive-breeding network<\/a>, one couple stands out\u2014not just for their experience, but for their unwavering bond: Joseph and Marie Antoinette. Their story is one of resilience, tenderness, and defying the odds, unfolding within the walls of the Vallcalent Specialized Breeding Centre in Spain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Marie Antoinette (BG115)<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Marie Antoinette: A life of trials and triumphs<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The female Bearded Vulture, Marie Antoinette (BG115), hatched in 1989 in captivity at Alpenzoo Innsbruck\u2014one of the zoos that had been part of the EEP since its inception. She was destined for the wild and was released into the French Alps, where she thrived, even raising young of her own. However, in 2005, an unfortunate twist of fate changed everything: a collision with a power line left her with a permanently damaged wing. No longer able to survive in the wild, she was taken to Asters, one of the centers within the EEP network, to become part of the captive breeding program. There, she met Joseph (BG297)\u2014a younger male hatched in 1998 at the Richard Faust Zentrum in Austria. The two formed an instant bond and a strong connection. Despite their close partnership and repeated breeding attempts, most of Marie Antoinette\u2019s eggs broke, leading to, leading to unsuccessful reproduction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new home and a new strategy<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In 2016, the pair was transferred to Vallcalent Sprecialised Breeding Unit, where \u00c0lex Llopis Dell, the centre\u2019s manager and coordinator of the EEP programme<\/a>, made an important discovery. Marie Antoinette\u2019s difficulties weren\u2019t just due to the wing injury\u2014her left leg was also injured, preventing her from digging a proper nesting bowl. The mystery of the broken eggs was finally solved. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

From then on, a new approach was adopted: her eggs would be artificially incubated<\/a>, while she and Joseph were given a dummy egg to nurture. Once hatched, their chicks were returned to them. The results were extraordinary. Joseph and Marie Antoinette embraced parenthood with dedication, proving to be some of the most caring parents in the entire programme, successfully raising many chicks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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