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.
