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Chicks at Changa Manga

We are thrilled to announce the hatching of two further Oriental White-backed Vulture chicks at the conservation breeding centre at Changa Manga, near Lahore in Pakistan. This exciting news for this critically endangered species follows the breeding success of last April, which was the first successful breeding of this species in captivity in Pakistan.

The long incubation period (about 52 days) for Oriental White-backed Vultures added to the suspense of this delicate yet crucial process. A successful breeding programme will underpin the future conservation efforts, which include reintroduction of vultures to the wild.
 
The latest two chicks are now both over eight weeks old and continue to grow well under the watchful eye of their parents. They have been making strong progress, with one of the chicks overcoming a blocked nostril, which improved dramatically thanks to excellent care and attention from Abdul Ghaffar, Aviary Supervisor.
 
Dr Campbell Murn, our Head of Conservation and Research, said, “This is another boost for the project in Pakistan. We are increasingly confident about the future in terms of breeding at the Changa Manga centre, but the project needs improvements in the field in the Vulture Safe Zone. Further work to remove vulture-unsafe veterinary drugs from circulation is essential, as is protection of vulture breeding sites in the wild. Without these improvements, releases that are planned for the future will be delayed”.
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