Rare vulture chick hatches

This chick sat under its mother’s wings is making history.

The five week-old fledgling is thriving in the nest and is a boost for the species which has experienced mass poisoning of the critically endangered bird in its native South Africa in recent weeks.

Dedicated keepers supported the parents by incubating the egg and returning the African white-backed vulture chick to the nest after hatching.

If it survives, the chick, whose gender won’t be known until it leaves the nest and its feathers can be tested, will be the first in more than 10 years to be successfully reared at the Safari Park, which is celebrating 60 years of opening next year.

In the last 12 months there have been just five surviving African White Backed Vultures chicks as part of the European breeding programme, including the one at Longleat.

The nest is around 100 cm in diameter, built of sticks and lined with grass and green leaves with both adults sharing the parenting.

After around 120 days the chick fledges and both parents continue to feed it for several months until it eventually disperses.

Matt Hardy, Lead Keeper Lakes and Birds, said: “There has been a steep decline in the numbers across the world. The global population was estimated at 270,000 individuals in 1992 but has crashed by 81% in the following 40 years.

“Poisoning such as the ones we have seen recently which have killed around 100 and 200 have been the biggest cause of declines in East Africa.

"Additional threats include loss of habitat, electrocution on powerlines, collisions with road traffic, wind energy development, therefore, to see one growing and thriving here at Longleat is an incredible experience."

The chick and its parents can be seen in the Drive-through Safari. Parents have leg bands – BB and BI. The chick will have an ID band once older. The chick’s mother came to Longleat in 2021 and the father in 2014.