Conservation

Everything we do falls under the umbrella of conservation, our main conservation aims focus on our collection of birds and their breeding programmes. We work with our partners and other organisations to support wild populations and reintroduction efforts, share our knowledge and findings, and improve and develop the methods used to conserve vultures worldwide.

The Horstmann Trust is home to some of the largest known captive populations of vultures in the world, these include Hooded vultures and Egyptian vultures. This means we have privileged access to species insights such as behaviour, breeding data and biochemistry. We use this information and data to develop our management processes, aviculture techniques and further our breeding program.

Aviculture

Juvenile bearded vulture sitting on a rock

African white-backed vulture with wings spread over a carcass ribcage

The aims and objectives of the charity are to be an effective part of the vulture conservation community and to play an active role in sharing information and resources. We combine this with on-going teaching of rehabilitation and captive breeding skills to colleagues around the world. Only through working with other organisations, both in-situ and ex-situ, can the knowledge and expertise be utilised to its full potential.

Our work currently focuses on 4 main species – Hooded vultures, Egyptian vultures, Bearded vultures and Andean condors – and our goal is to maintain sustainable, genetically diverse and consistently breeding collection with these birds.

The breed and release part of our projects are dedicated to the conservation of vulnerable vulture populations by breeding in captivity. These projects prioritise genetic diversity, optimal health and natural behaviours to ensure the birds’ successful reintroduction into the wild. In collaboration with local stakeholders, conservation organisations, and communities, we select appropriate partner programs. They employ a variety of release techniques and monitor the birds post-release to assess their progress and adapt their strategies accordingly. By raising public awareness and promoting sustainable practices, our breed and release projects contribute significantly to the recovery of these vital species, fostering a balanced ecosystem for future generations.