Ruppel's vulture
IUCN Red List status
Programme roles
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• Insurance Function as a demographically stable, genetically healthy, and behaviourally competent insurance population that can potentially function as source for reintroduction in the future. • Education / awareness (in range) Support educational activities in range about vulture conservation (threats and how they can be countered). Engage with local ngo’s to work on this and support them with material, etc. (focussing on West Africa). |
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• Education / awareness Generate awareness about vulture conservation and the worrying conservation status they are in due to human-wild live conflicts, poaching, (un)intentional poisoning (Rüppel's vultures are heavily impacted), and/or diclofenac and NSAIDs. • Fundraising EAZA to fund raise/financially support in situ work, training, response kit, funding for research equipment. • Research Acquire knowledge on the species biology to build up knowledge on nutrition, behaviour, reproduction biology, etc. to help inform in situ conservation actions. • Technical and vet support based on our experiences with vultures provide technical guidance and veterinary support for the ex situ activites in range countries. • Advocacy EAZA will do conservation education re diclofenac and posioning issues with the species we do have in our collections. |
Programme numbers
In January 2024, the Rüppell’s vulture EEP had 139 animals in 26 institutions.
Programme highlights
- EAZA member ZSL London, together with the Royal Veterinary College, was identifying factors that influence the reproductive success of Gyps vultures within EAZA zoos.
- EAZA member Diergaarde Blijdorp, together with Wageningen University & Research, conducted a MSc theses on advancing genetic insight into Rüppell’s vultures.
- EAZA members Avifauna and Diergaarde Blijdorp, together with Utrecht University, started a 4 year PHd on Rüppell's vulture behaviour in 2024.
- Wild Rüppell's vulture populations face extremely high population declines.
- A close collaboration between different Dutch institutions led to a very succesful hatching season as described in Zooquaria 119.