A species of vulture is making a grand recovery in the Alps, according to CNN.
The bearded vulture was hunted to extinction in Europe due to fears that it was attacking livestock and even children. It had all but disappeared by 1913, but recovery campaigns spun up in 1986, starting with hatching in captivity and eventual releases into the wild.
Today, the Vulture Conservation Foundation estimates there are up to 460 bearded vultures in the Alps, with 61 born in 2024. Similar recovery programs are underway in Spain.
Bearded vultures have a massive 9-foot wingspan, allowing them to scour huge distances for food. While they scavenge carrion like any good vulture, they're unique in that the bulk of their diet is made up of bones. Sometimes bearded vultures will drop bones from high to access the marrow within, earning it the Latin name "ossifrage," meaning "bone breaker."
While this may seem a little distasteful on the surface, this is a vital ecosystem role. Species that clear carcasses are helping to prevent the spread of diseases that come with lengthy rot. By digesting bones with impressively powerful stomach acids, they're able to cycle hard-to-access nutrients back into the soil.
Habitat will continue to be a challenge for the bearded vulture. Increasing temperature is threatening some species well-suited to the cold high in the Alps. Receding glaciers are reducing water availability in the region as well. Habitat degradation, slow breeding cycles, and contaminated food sources have reduced the bearded vulture's global population by up to 29% over three generations.
Still, with the population of the bearded vulture stabilizing in the Alps, the Vulture Conservation Foundation is hoping to improve genetic diversity so the species has a better chance to adapt to these kinds of climate-influenced changes.
You can engage locally with similar organizations to rescue and support vulnerable animal populations.
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