As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Sunday 25 February 2018

Tayto Park welcomes endangered white-headed vultures


Ronan Gaine – 20 February 2018 02:30 AM

Staff are delighted a pair of white-headed vultures are now at Tayto Park, says Mike Brasser

It was a case of from Africa to Ashbourne for a pair of rare white-headed vultures who have been unveiled at their new Tayto Park home.

The birds of prey, which are on the endangered species list, arrived into the country last month.

The white-headed vultures - the only breeding pair in Ireland - caused plenty of excitement at the theme park and zoo.

They are critically endangered and face the serious threat of extinction.

Zookeepers at Tayto are therefore hoping for a strong bond to form between the pair to allow for breeding at their new home in Co Meath.

The white-headed vulture is part of a captive population managed and monitored by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria's European Endangered Species Programme (EEP).

"The main reason we wanted to welcome them to Tayto Park is that they are very rare in the wild and having them here means we are part of a very important international breeding programme known as an EEP," a spokesman for the park told the Herald.

Mike Brasser, head of the World of Raptors at Tayto Park, said staff were thrilled to have the species join the zoo and said there was "plenty of excitement" following their arrival.

The vultures have yet to be named.

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