Zoo Ostrava The Annual Report 2009

Monitoring nests of endangered birds of prey species
Jana Pluháčková
The cinereous vulture (Aegypius monachus), the griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) and the bearded vulture
(Gypaetus barbatus) - all these three birds of prey species are endangered in the wild and included in European
conservation breeding programmes (EEP) and European Studbooks (ESB). For the cinereous vulture, Ostrava
Zoo is even one of two breeders throughout Europe that successfully produced offspring of this species over the
last year. The offspring was released into the wild in the territory of the French Alps within the reintroduction
scheme coordinated by the European Endangered Species Breeding Programme (EEP). Similarly, a young bird
of another species - the bearded vulture - was released from Ostrava Zoo into the wild in Europe in 2009.
Although both rearing events were finished with success and without complications, the zoo personnel had
to inspect each of the nests several times, checking if everything runs smoothly. However, any such check
poses some risks - the parents may get frightened, break the egg, trample the chick or refuse to get back to
the nest.
Considering this, the zoo decided to acquire a CCTV system to allow nest monitoring in the species above by
the personnel without having to disturb the birds alone. As those systems are not very cheap, an application
for funding was submitted to the Czech Ministry of Environment and subsequently satisfied, so the zoo could
buy and install three cameras in 2009, one per species.
Each device is placed out of reach of the birds above the nest and records every movement in the
neighbourhood of the nest. All data are stored in a computer and evaluated. The systems provide keepers
with a good overview in that they can check if the birds have already laid the egg and incubate it properly or
how often they take turn in sitting on the nest; in rare cases, they can even see the young one hatch - shortly,
they can check everything that could be earlier only estimated from the distance upon the birds' behaviour.
Nonetheless, this is not all what CCTV systems can do for bird breeding; indeed, they enable the personnel
watching if the hatched chick is fed properly and prospers or not. If the latter is true and the parental care is
poor, the young one can be taken away in time or even hand-raised where necessary.
Thanks to the systems purchased through the MoE grant, the zoo can now monitor nesting behaviour using
a non-invasive technique, which is going to have positive effects on the reproductive success in the three
species of endangered birds of prey in Ostrava, whilst leading to ultimate sustaining and boosting ex situ
and in situ populations owing to the intense cooperation with other European zoos, which may represent
a significant contribution to conservation of those ecologically important species.
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