The record for Black Vulture breeding in Bulgaria was broken in 2024. For the first time in the species’ modern history in the country, seven chicks hatched in one year following the start of the reintroduction program in 2018. Five chicks survived and were wrapped with transmitters in their nests in the Balkan mountain.

The area chosen by some of the released Cinereous vultures in Balkan Mountain for long stays and likely nesting in 2023/2024 is under fire up to 15000 ha coniferous and deciduous forests, permanent crops, pastures, houses, livestock barns, and more were burned.

Two of the four released Cinereous vultures have permanently settled in the Kresna Gorge, exploring the area and staying near the feeding site. They have started a core group that will attract, retain, and establish more birds of this species here.

International meeting organized by the LIFE SUPport project in Croatia. Representatives from the Society for the Protection and Research of Birds in Serbia visited the Kresna Gorge.

Nine Cinereous vultures were transported to the Kresna Gorge in Bulgaria. The birds were tagged and will be acclimated in the aviary before being released into the wild. They were donated to our country by Spain.

The Cinereous Vulture in 2024 already has a national population of 18- 20 pairs. The Griffon vulture national population exceeds the psychological threshold of 200 pairs and is now in the range of 202-209 pairs.

The Bioparc Conservation distributed 524,025 euros to 37 projects in 2023 to save endangered species around the world. Over 4 million euros have been donated since 2001 to conservationists and NGOs on four continents. Vultures reintroduction in Bulgaria is a part of those projects.

The three pairs of Cinereous vultures from 2023 continue to thrive in the same configuration, with an additional two pairs from 2023, who were moving together but have now reached sexual maturity.

This remarkable tally contributes to a national record of 523 griffon vultures, nearly half of the Balkan population (excluding islands). The combined count across all four reintroduction sites in the country—East Balkan Mountain, Vrachanski Balkan, Kresna, and Central Balkan—reached a historic high of 197 individuals.

A century ago, the first captive bearded vultures in the world were bred in the Sofia Royal Zoo of Ferdinand I. From 1916 to 1924, the pair of Bearded vultures managed to raise 8 chicks in the following years. The young are released in the Alps.

From 14 to 17 November 2023, a significant event took place: the 2nd European Vulture Conference in Cáceres, Spain, which brought together over 400 specialists worldwide working on the study and conservation of vultures.

Mapping watering places mainly in Kotel Mountain and (re)create of tens of fountains with troughs, small ponds, reservoirs. Bai Husein has taken on the role of mentor to our colleague, Stamen Stanchev. Together, they are working to revitalize the once-dry troughs of ancient mountain fountains, ensuring that the cool, gushing water flows once again.

The FDFF maintains a 60-decare enclosure in Levka with 65 fallow deer for the Deer Release Program, which supports vultures. Releasing deer into vulture reintroduction sites enhances their natural food supply, reducing predator attacks on domestic livestock and minimizing human-predator conflicts.

At the “Knowledge for Natura 2000” project in Bansko we addressed the prevention of predator poisoning, shared detection protocols, and highlighted the severity of the issue in front of state representatives from national and nature parks and wildlife agencies.

On Sep 25, 2023, in Sofia, we officially launched “Bearded Vulture LIFE” (#101113869 LIFE22-NAT-BG-Bearded Vulture LIFE), whose goal is to bring back the Bearded Vulture, which has disappeared from nature. It unites the efforts of 8 partners from 3 European countries.

FDFF has initiated improvements of own livestock farms at vulture reintroduction areas. Farms keep autochthonous breeds of livestock in Kotel and Kresna Gorge. They provide a consistent food source for vultures and serve as headquarters for project staff and volunteers.

In the summer of 2023, a group of griffon vultures from the Kresna Gorge (over 30) spent their summer in the Rila National Park and Rila Monastery Nature Park. It marked the first year of a new griffon vulture colony in Kresna Gorge, choosing Rila over Pirin.

On August 1st, an international project titled “Life for the Bearded Vulture” was launched to reintroduce the Bearded Vulture, a symbol of Bulgarian nature protection to Bulgaria and the Balkan Peninsula.