The hooded vulture is the first offspring for both her parents.  Her mother is a cancer survivor who lost a wing to a malignant tumor a few years ago.  The Ruppell’s griffon vulture is the second offspring for her parents.  Because these vulture parents sometimes break their eggs, the eggs were artificially incubated and the chicks reared by human “parents.”  The chicks are born helpless and require around-the-clock care, including keeping them warm and frequent feedings. 

Bonnie Van Dam, the Zoo’s Associate Curator of Birds, said the feeding schedule required many changes in keeper schedules and could not have been accomplished without the help of the night keeper staff as well as the bird keeper who prepared all of the special diets for the chicks.  “Vultures are difficult for zoos to breed, and the Detroit Zoo’s success shows that our vulture habitat and care program provides what vultures need to be healthy and happy.”

The Detroit Zoo has nine hooded vultures and six Ruppell’s griffon vultures.  It is the only zoo in North America to successfully breed either species in the last 12 months.  There are only 35 hooded vultures in seven other zoos and 40 Ruppell’s griffon vultures in 12 other zoos in North America.

Hooded vultures (Necrosyrtes monachus), also known as “garbage collectors” by the locals in their native Africa, are scavenging creatures that are typically fearless of humans.  They are one of the smallest vulture species and usually allow their larger relatives to have first choice at meal time.

Ruppell’s griffon vultures (Gyps rueppellii) are highly social creatures that nest and feed in flocks.  They have an especially powerful bill and their wingspan can reach more than 8 feet.  The birds are generally silent except when around their nests or when they discover a carcass to feed on.  They reside in semi-desert areas of Africa and perch on rock ledges where they can scan the area for meals.

The Detroit Zoological Society is a non-profit organization that operates the Detroit Zoo and Belle Isle Nature Zoo.  Situated on 125 acres of naturalistic exhibits, the Detroit Zoo is located at the intersection of Ten Mile Road and Woodward Avenue, just off I-696, in Royal Oak.  The Detroit Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April through October (open at 9:30 a.m. Memorial Day through Labor Day) – with extended hours until 8 p.m. Wednesdays during July and August – and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. November through March.  Admission is $11 for adults 13 to 61, $9 for senior citizens 62 and older, and $7 for children ages 2 to 12; children under 2 are free.  For more information, call (248) 541-5717 or visit www.detroitzoo.org.  The Belle Isle Nature Zoo is open daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. year-round and provides educational programming with interpretive staff support from the Huron-Clinton Metroparks.  For more information, call (313) 852-4056. 
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