Griffon Vulture

The Jerusalem Biblical Zoo plays a leading role in the conservation of the Griffon vulture, one of Israel’s most iconic birdsof prey. Once a familiar sight soaring above the country’s mountains and valleys, Griffon vultures have suffered dramatic population declines due to poisoning, electrocution by power lines, habitat loss, and human disturbance. Today, the remaining wild populations are concentrated in the Golan Heights (Gamla Nature Reserve), the Carmel region, and several locations in the Negev and the Judean Desert.

For nearly three decades, the Zoo has maintained successful breeding pairs of Griffon vultures that reproduce regularly. Each breeding season, our dedicated bird care team closely monitors the nesting pairs as they incubate their single egg. Once the egg is laid, it is carefully transferred to the National Raptor Incubation Center at the Zoo. This process not only allows the egg to be incubated under optimal conditions but also encourages the parents to produce a second egg - a natural phenomenon known as reserve laying.

Both eggs are incubated at the National Raptor Incubation Center, while a specially designed artificial egg is placed in the nest to ensure that the parent birds continue their natural incubation behavior. In addition to eggs produced at the Zoo, the center receives eggs from zoological institutions across Israel, the Carmel and Yotvata Wildlife Reserves, and occasionally from wild nests when intervention is needed to safeguard the developing chick.

After hatching, the chicks are returned either to their biological parents or to carefully selected foster pairs. Some chicksare hand-reared by experienced keepers using highly refined methods that prevent direct human contact, ensuring the young vultures do not imprint on people and retain the natural behaviors essential for survival in the wild.

To date, hundreds of Griffon vultures hatched and raised through the Zoo’s conservation program have been successfully released into the wild, including many that were raised by the breeding pairs visitors can observe at the Zoo.

Beyond breeding and incubation, the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo has also played an important role in strengthening the genetic diversity of Israel’s wild vulture population by assisting with the transfer of birds from Spain, Cyprus, and other countries. Together with its partners, the Zoo continues to work toward securing a healthy, self-sustaining population of Griffon vultures and ensuring that future generations will once again be able to look up and see these magnificent birds soaring across Israel’s skies.

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Photo: Shai Ben Ami