Bearded Vulture Returns to Bulgaria After Over 50 Years of Absence

One of the most iconic species for Bulgarian wildlife conservation — the bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) — is making a long-awaited return to the country’s skies.

After more than 50 years of absence, the species is being reintroduced into the wild in the Sinite Kamani (Blue Stones) Nature Park near the town of Sliven (Southeastern Bulgaria). On May 17, 2025, three young bearded vultures — one hatched at the Wildlife Rescue Centre of Green Balkans and two donated by the Ostrava Zoo in the Czech Republic — were transported to the mountain and placed in an artificial nest. The birds, named Balkan, Boev, and LifeBg, will be fed, monitored, and protected until they adapt to their new environment and are ready to leave the nest on their own.

Zoos have long played a crucial role in the conservation and restoration of rare and endangered species. All three vultures in this release were bred in captivity, with two hatched in zoological institutions. The Sofia Zoo has also contributed to the bearded vulture’s conservation.

Between 1916 and 1923, eight bearded vulture chicks were successfully hatched at the former Royal Zoological Garden in Sofia — a remarkable achievement at the time.

Today, the Sofia Zoo houses Egyptian, griffon, and cinereous vultures, and actively supports biodiversity by donating mouflons, fallow deer, and wild boar to natural habitats as part of conservation efforts. Under the zoo’s collection plan for the period 2025–2035, bearded vultures will also be bred and raised with the aim of releasing their offspring into the wild. This opens a new page in Bulgarian nature conservation, giving the last, missing species of European vulture a chance to spread its wings in the skies above Bulgaria, the zoo said.

The bearded vulture holds symbolic importance in Bulgarian nature conservation and is depicted on the emblem for protected sites and areas in the country. The last known individual in Bulgaria was found dead in 1972, after which the species was considered extinct as a breeding bird in the region.

Photos by Dobromir Borislavov, Fund for Wild Flora and Fauna