{"id":39607,"date":"2025-02-24T18:46:35","date_gmt":"2025-02-24T16:46:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/?p=39607"},"modified":"2025-05-05T15:46:39","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T12:46:39","slug":"meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet Natator: the Cinereous Vulture who swam for his life between Portugal and Spain"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>Natator<\/em> was rescued on an international mission, recovered and released back into nature as part of the LIFE Aegypius Return project.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>O abutre-preto (<em>Aegypius monachus<\/em>) breeding colony in the Tejo Internacional Nature Park is the largest and oldest in Portugal. The species settled here in 2010, around four decades after it became extinct as a breeder in the country. In 2024, this colony recorded at least <a href=\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/blog\/cinereous-vulture-increases-to-more-than-108-nesting-pairs-in-portugal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">61 nesting pairs<\/a>, 15 or 16 of which were on the Spanish margin of the river. The colony benefits from cross-border collaboration, which sometimes proves essential for the birds&#8217; survival, as can be seen in <em>Natator<\/em>&#8216;s story.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe title=\"The Cinereous Vulture who swam for his life between Portugal and Spain\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/l29QefiH4DA?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The importance of close monitoring\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>On April 21<sup>st<\/sup>, 2024, a little Cinereous Vulture hatched at <a href=\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/blog\/cinereous-vulture-conservation-joins-stakeholdersin-tejo-internacional-the-largest-breeding-colony-in-portugal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Herdade da Cubeira<\/a>, in the Tejo Internacional Nature Park. On July 18<sup>th<\/sup>, at 89 days of age, it was ringed with the code 5S and fitted a GPS transmitter, which allows the project teams to monitor all his movements and behaviour. In less than a month, it took its first flights, always in the Tejo Internacional region, often landing on the riverbanks. In the valley, near the water, network coverage is unreliable, so GPS data is sometimes received intermittently.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the challenges in receiving GPS data, Paulo Monteiro, a technician from SPEA (Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds) responsible for monitoring the colony, noticed that 5S had been stationary by the river for an unusually long time. The accelerometer data showed that the bird was alive, but might be in trouble. Since the bird was on the Portuguese bank of the river, an area difficult to access and observe from that side, Paulo contacted the rangers (<em>Agentes del Medio Natural<\/em>) from<em> <\/em>Junta de Extremadura (JEx), who promptly provided a team to observe the chick from Spain. Together they confirmed that the vulture was fine, but seemed trapped between the dense vegetation on the bank and the river water.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"39611\" src=\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/NatatorPMonteiro-1-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"The Cinereous Vulture Natator observed from a distance trapped between the Tagus River and the vegetation on the bank. \u00a9 Paulo Monteiro\/SPEA\u00a0\" class=\"wp-image-39611\" srcset=\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/NatatorPMonteiro-1-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/NatatorPMonteiro-1-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/NatatorPMonteiro-1-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/NatatorPMonteiro-1-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/NatatorPMonteiro-1-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/NatatorPMonteiro-1-2048x2048.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/NatatorPMonteiro-1-12x12.jpg 12w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Cinereous Vulture Natator observed from a distance trapped between the Tagus River and the vegetation on the bank. \u00a9 Paulo Monteiro\/SPEA\u00a0<br><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" data-id=\"39612\" src=\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/NatatorPMonteiro-2-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"The Cinereous Vulture Natator observed from a distance drying its feathers after falling into the river. \u00a9 Paulo Monteiro\/SPEA\u00a0\" class=\"wp-image-39612\" srcset=\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/NatatorPMonteiro-2-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/NatatorPMonteiro-2-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/NatatorPMonteiro-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/NatatorPMonteiro-2-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/NatatorPMonteiro-2-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/NatatorPMonteiro-2-2048x2048.jpg 2048w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/NatatorPMonteiro-2-12x12.jpg 12w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Cinereous Vulture Natator observed from a distance drying its feathers after falling into the river. \u00a9 Paulo Monteiro\/SPEA\u00a0<br><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A swimming vulture and an international rescue operation\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>In order to avoid any disturbing (and possibly unnecessary) interference and to check whether the parents would come to feed the young vulture, Paulo returned the next day and remained surveilling. The parents didn&#8217;t come near, the young vulture frequently drank water from the Tagus and hopped around in the short space available to him, trying to stay in the shade. Growing restless from being trapped, at around 2pm, he took a chance and attempted a flight, but only managed to reach a few metres downstream. His physical condition and tiredness, and perhaps without any relief or thermals to help him take off, meant he couldn&#8217;t get out of the trap he had voluntarily fallen into. Despite the failed flight, it showed good skills to swim back to the rocks on the bank.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This behaviour earned him the name <em>Natator<\/em> (swimmer, in Latin) and an international rescue operation. By boat, rangers from JEX and from the ICNF (the Portuguese Institute for Nature and Forest Conservation) and Paulo, from SPEA, managed to rescue the vulture, which was delivered to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/CERASCB\/?locale=pt_PT\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">CERAS <\/a>(Centre for the Study and Recovery of Wild Animals), managed by Quercus in Castelo Branco.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-2 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"665\" data-id=\"39609\" src=\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/mapa1-1024x665.png\" alt=\"The movements of the Cinereous Vulture Natator between 14\/08 and 13\/09\/2024 with frequent stops along the banks of the River Tagus. The yellow arrow indicates the rescue site. \" class=\"wp-image-39609\" srcset=\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/mapa1-1024x665.png 1024w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/mapa1-300x195.png 300w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/mapa1-768x499.png 768w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/mapa1-18x12.png 18w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/mapa1.png 1110w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The movements of the Cinereous Vulture Natator between 14\/08 and 13\/09\/2024 with frequent stops along the banks of the River Tagus. The yellow arrow indicates the rescue site. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" data-id=\"39614\" src=\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/resgate-1024x768.jpeg\" alt=\"Rescue operation of the Cinereous Vulture Natator. \u00a9Agustin Ruano\/AGM-JEx \" class=\"wp-image-39614\" srcset=\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/resgate-1024x768.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/resgate-300x225.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/resgate-768x576.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/resgate-1536x1152.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/resgate-16x12.jpeg 16w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/resgate.jpeg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Rescue operation of the Cinereous Vulture Natator. \u00a9Agustin Ruano\/AGM-JEx <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Rehabilitation for freedom\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>The young Natator entered CERAS malnourished, in a generally weak condition due to hunger and stress. He had slight injuries to his feet, probably due to the long time he had been on the rocks, and a bruised wing, with no bone damage, possibly due to falling into the water. Treating the effects of malnutrition, which included some neurological symptoms, was quite a lengthy process. But fortunately, this brave vulture made a full recovery. As if sensing his imminent return to the wild, on the eve of his release, he began practising his flights more diligently, proving he was ready.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>During his stay at CERAS, Natator was able to count on good companions, also Cinereous Vultures, who helped him socialise and recover. Some of these birds, also juveniles from 2024 that recovered at CERAS for various reasons, will soon be transferred to <a href=\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/blog\/four-cinereous-vultures-inaugurate-pioneering-conservation-programme-in-portugal\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">acclimatise <\/a>to the Douro International region. With no established territory or known origin, they will be key to strengthening the country&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/blog\/the-cinereous-vulture-colony-in-the-douro-international-has-grown-along-with-cross-border-cooperation-to-protect-it\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">most fragile <\/a>colony.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Returning to the wild\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Natator&#8217;s return to the wild took place last week, at an event attended by those who rescued and treated him (SPEA, JEx, ICNF, CERAS\/Quercus), and the VCF, who coordinates the LIFE Aegypius Return project. The family that owns Herdade da Cubeira, where Natator hatched, was also present.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Enjoying freedom once again, Natator has remained in the Tejo Internacional Nature Park, fortunately without any risky stops by the water.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-3 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"915\" height=\"718\" data-id=\"39610\" src=\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/mapa2.png\" alt=\"Movements of the Cinereous Vulture Natator in the days following release, in the Tejo Internacional Nature Park. \" class=\"wp-image-39610\" srcset=\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/mapa2.png 915w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/mapa2-300x235.png 300w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/mapa2-768x603.png 768w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/mapa2-15x12.png 15w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 915px) 100vw, 915px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Movements of the Cinereous Vulture Natator in the days following release, in the Tejo Internacional Nature Park. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"696\" data-id=\"39613\" src=\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/release_Fernando-Sanchez-1024x696.jpeg\" alt=\"Natator\u2019s release. \u00a9 Fernando Sanchez \" class=\"wp-image-39613\" srcset=\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/release_Fernando-Sanchez-1024x696.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/release_Fernando-Sanchez-300x204.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/release_Fernando-Sanchez-768x522.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/release_Fernando-Sanchez-18x12.jpeg 18w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/release_Fernando-Sanchez.jpeg 1513w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Natator\u2019s release. \u00a9 Fernando Sanchez <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"564\" data-id=\"39608\" src=\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/group-1024x564.jpeg\" alt=\"Group photo at Natator's release. \u00a9VCF \" class=\"wp-image-39608\" srcset=\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/group-1024x564.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/group-300x165.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/group-768x423.jpeg 768w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/group-1536x847.jpeg 1536w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/group-18x10.jpeg 18w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/group.jpeg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Group photo at Natator&#8217;s release. \u00a9VCF <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The LIFE Aegypius Return partners would like to thank all the people and organisations involved in the protection and conservation of the Cinereous Vulture. Cross-sectoral and international cooperation has been a pillar for the recovery of the species in Portugal and western Spain.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">About LIFE Aegypius Return&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"303\" src=\"http:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/logos-1024x303.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-38020\" srcset=\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/logos-1024x303.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/logos-300x89.jpg 300w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/logos-768x227.jpg 768w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/logos-1536x455.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/logos-18x5.jpg 18w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/logos.jpg 1879w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The LIFE Aegypius Return project is co-financed by the\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/cinea.ec.europa.eu\/programmes\/life_en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">programa LIFE da Uni\u00e3o Europeia.<\/a>. Its success depends on the involvement of all the relevant\u202f<em>stakeholders<\/em>, and on the collaboration of the partners, the\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Vulture Conservation Foundation (VCF)<\/a>, the coordinating beneficiary, and the local partners\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.palombar.pt\/pt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Palombar \u2013<\/a>\u202fConservation\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.palombar.pt\/pt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">of Nature and Rural Heritage<\/a>\u202f(with co-funding from Viridia \u2013 Conservation in Action),\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.herdadedacontenda.pt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Herdade da Contenda<\/a>,\u202f<a href=\"http:\/\/www.spea.pt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Sociedade Portuguesa para o Estudo das Aves<\/a>,\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/www.lpn.pt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Liga para a Protec\u00e7\u00e3o da Natureza<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/atnatureza\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">, Associa\u00e7\u00e3o Transum\u00e2ncia e Natureza<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/fnyh.org\/en\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">, Fundaci\u00f3n Naturaleza y Hombre<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.gnr.pt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">, Guarda Nacional Republicana<\/a>\u202fand\u202f<a href=\"https:\/\/anpc.pt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Associa\u00e7\u00e3o Nacional de Propriet\u00e1rios Rurais Gest\u00e3o Cineg\u00e9tica e Biodiversidade<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"241\" src=\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/logos-partners-1024x241.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-39381\" srcset=\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/logos-partners-1024x241.png 1024w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/logos-partners-300x70.png 300w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/logos-partners-768x180.png 768w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/logos-partners-18x4.png 18w, https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/logos-partners.png 1098w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Natator was rescued on an international mission, recovered and released back into nature as part of the LIFE Aegypius Return project.\u00a0 The Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) breeding colony in the Tejo Internacional Nature Park is the largest and oldest in Portugal. The species settled here in 2010, around four decades after it became extinct as [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":39613,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[380,14,167],"class_list":["post-39607","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-2025-02","tag-cinereousvulture","tag-lifeaegypiusreturn"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Meet Natator: the Cinereous Vulture who swam for his life between Portugal and Spain - Vulture Conservation Foundation<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"pt_PT\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Meet Natator: the Cinereous Vulture who swam for his life between Portugal and Spain - Vulture Conservation Foundation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Natator was rescued on an international mission, recovered and released back into nature as part of the LIFE Aegypius Return project.\u00a0 The Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) breeding colony in the Tejo Internacional Nature Park is the largest and oldest in Portugal. The species settled here in 2010, around four decades after it became extinct as [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Vulture Conservation Foundation\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-02-24T16:46:35+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-05-05T12:46:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/release_Fernando-Sanchez.jpeg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1513\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1028\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Eleni Karatzia\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Escrito por\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Eleni Karatzia\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Tempo estimado de leitura\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"7 minutos\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Eleni Karatzia\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/#\/schema\/person\/03dbd49b20a801f33ffcf50063c3a54f\"},\"headline\":\"Meet Natator: the Cinereous Vulture who swam for his life between Portugal and Spain\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-24T16:46:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-05T12:46:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/\"},\"wordCount\":1049,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/release_Fernando-Sanchez.jpeg\",\"keywords\":[\"2025-02\",\"cinereousvulture\",\"LIFEAegypiusreturn\"],\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"pt-PT\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/\",\"name\":\"Meet Natator: the Cinereous Vulture who swam for his life between Portugal and Spain - Vulture Conservation Foundation\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/release_Fernando-Sanchez.jpeg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-02-24T16:46:35+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-05-05T12:46:39+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"pt-PT\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"pt-PT\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/release_Fernando-Sanchez.jpeg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/release_Fernando-Sanchez.jpeg\",\"width\":1513,\"height\":1028,\"caption\":\"Natator\u2019s release. \u00a9 Fernando Sanchez\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Meet Natator: the Cinereous Vulture who swam for his life between Portugal and Spain\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/\",\"name\":\"Vulture Conservation Foundation\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"pt-PT\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Vulture Conservation Foundation\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"pt-PT\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/logo.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/logo.svg\",\"width\":522.503,\"height\":154.297,\"caption\":\"Vulture Conservation Foundation\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/#\/schema\/person\/03dbd49b20a801f33ffcf50063c3a54f\",\"name\":\"Eleni Karatzia\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/blog\/author\/elenikaratzia\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Meet Natator: the Cinereous Vulture who swam for his life between Portugal and Spain - Vulture Conservation Foundation","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/","og_locale":"pt_PT","og_type":"article","og_title":"Meet Natator: the Cinereous Vulture who swam for his life between Portugal and Spain - Vulture Conservation Foundation","og_description":"Natator was rescued on an international mission, recovered and released back into nature as part of the LIFE Aegypius Return project.\u00a0 The Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) breeding colony in the Tejo Internacional Nature Park is the largest and oldest in Portugal. The species settled here in 2010, around four decades after it became extinct as [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/","og_site_name":"Vulture Conservation Foundation","article_published_time":"2025-02-24T16:46:35+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-05-05T12:46:39+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1513,"height":1028,"url":"http:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/release_Fernando-Sanchez.jpeg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Eleni Karatzia","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Escrito por":"Eleni Karatzia","Tempo estimado de leitura":"7 minutos"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/"},"author":{"name":"Eleni Karatzia","@id":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/#\/schema\/person\/03dbd49b20a801f33ffcf50063c3a54f"},"headline":"Meet Natator: the Cinereous Vulture who swam for his life between Portugal and Spain","datePublished":"2025-02-24T16:46:35+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-05T12:46:39+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/"},"wordCount":1049,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/release_Fernando-Sanchez.jpeg","keywords":["2025-02","cinereousvulture","LIFEAegypiusreturn"],"articleSection":["News"],"inLanguage":"pt-PT"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/","url":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/","name":"Meet Natator: the Cinereous Vulture who swam for his life between Portugal and Spain - Vulture Conservation Foundation","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/release_Fernando-Sanchez.jpeg","datePublished":"2025-02-24T16:46:35+00:00","dateModified":"2025-05-05T12:46:39+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"pt-PT","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/4vultures.org\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"pt-PT","@id":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/release_Fernando-Sanchez.jpeg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/release_Fernando-Sanchez.jpeg","width":1513,"height":1028,"caption":"Natator\u2019s release. \u00a9 Fernando Sanchez"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/blog\/meet-natator-the-cinereous-vulture-who-swam-for-his-life-between-portugal-and-spain\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Meet Natator: the Cinereous Vulture who swam for his life between Portugal and Spain"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/","name":"Vulture Conservation Foundation","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"pt-PT"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/#organization","name":"Vulture Conservation Foundation","url":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"pt-PT","@id":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/logo.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/logo.svg","width":522.503,"height":154.297,"caption":"Vulture Conservation Foundation"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/#\/schema\/person\/03dbd49b20a801f33ffcf50063c3a54f","name":"Eleni Karatzia","url":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/blog\/author\/elenikaratzia\/"}]}},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/release_Fernando-Sanchez.jpeg",1513,1028,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/release_Fernando-Sanchez-150x150.jpeg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/release_Fernando-Sanchez-300x204.jpeg",300,204,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/release_Fernando-Sanchez-768x522.jpeg",768,522,true],"large":["https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/release_Fernando-Sanchez-1024x696.jpeg",1024,696,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/release_Fernando-Sanchez.jpeg",1513,1028,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/release_Fernando-Sanchez.jpeg",1513,1028,false],"trp-custom-language-flag":["https:\/\/4vultures.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/release_Fernando-Sanchez-18x12.jpeg",18,12,true]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"Eleni Karatzia","author_link":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/blog\/author\/elenikaratzia\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Natator was rescued on an international mission, recovered and released back into nature as part of the LIFE Aegypius Return project.\u00a0 The Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) breeding colony in the Tejo Internacional Nature Park is the largest and oldest in Portugal. The species settled here in 2010, around four decades after it became extinct as&hellip;","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39607","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39607"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39607\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39618,"href":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39607\/revisions\/39618"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39607"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39607"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39607"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}