The fascinating Story of B-60, a “Griffon Vulture Without Borders” – How collaboration can save wildlife
A rescue across borders
A few weeks ago, our team received an unusual call: a tagged vulture had been found and was being kept in a small town deep within the Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim Faunal Reserve (OROAFR). What initially seemed like a routine rescue quickly unfolded into a much larger story: one of conservation, international cooperation, and the vital role local communities play in protecting wildlife.
When local inhabitants spotted the vulture in a vulnerable position, they had the laudable reaction of keeping it safe and reaching out using the phone number listed on its tag. This significant act underscores the vital role of community involvement and communication in conservation efforts.
Ohad Hatzofe, an avian ecologist from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority, reached out to us after receiving pictures of the griffon vulture. Being part of their conservation program, he tracked the last recorded GPS coordinates and contacted Sahara Conservation, as the only conservation organization in the area.
Vulture Monitoring Officer, retrieving B-60 while on a field mission to assess the threats to vultures.
Once the vulture was safely transported back to our base camp, we provided food, water, and the space the bird needed to recover and spread its wings. After a few days of rest and recovery, the moment we were waiting for arrived, the vulture first took flight to a nearby tree, and eventually into the open sky!
This success story is a testament to what can be achieved through conservation programs, local engagement, and international collaboration.
An uncommon journey
Griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) are classified Least Concern on a global scale, but they are Critically Endangered in Israel. To prevent their extinction and enable the population to recover, alongside other vulture species, the Nature and Parks Authority leads a vulture conservation program. This includes supplementary feeding, insulating dangerous power line pylons, conducting population counts, tagging and monitoring, breeding and releasing captive-born birds, leading educational programs, and monitoring vultures’ health.
There are currently about 160 vultures monitored with GPS devices.
B-60’s journey was remarkable, as this was its second winter in Chad—an unusual destination for griffon vultures. The region is a more common wintering place for Egyptian vultures, and we have already observed Egyptian vultures tagged by the Israeli program in OROAFR.
At the moment, only two other tagged Griffon vultures are transmitting from Chad.
Though its GPS tracker was lost (meaning it can no longer be monitored), its story serves as a powerful example of the importance of conservation. It highlights the need for continued communication and awareness-raising efforts so that local populations keep playing an active role in protecting wildlife. The success of this vulture’s rescue was made possible not just by tracking technology and international efforts, but also by the quick-thinking actions of local people who recognized its significance.