Our Nest

Pair of White-backed Vultures Gyps africanus sitting on their nest at the Dallas Zoo.  This endangered species is currently experiencing rapid, severe population decline due to habitat loss, decline in wild ungulate populations, hunting, and deliberate poisoning.  None of these problems are likely to abate in the near future, so the population is expected to continue its decline.  White-backed Vultures typically lay one egg a year and take 4-6 years to reach sexual maturity, so their population will be very slow to rebound even when it is given the chance to recover.  This captive pair has laid one egg so far this year.  It was removed in the hopes they will lay a second to replace it.  The first can then be hand-reared if it hatches, while the parents can raise the second.