Young Sisi dared her first flight in the Berchtesgaden National Park earlier than any other bearded vulture released into the wild in Germany. “This morning at 4.38 a.m., Sisi surprised us all and took off for the first time and flew out of the niche,” said Toni Wegscheider, project manager for the Bavarian nature conservation association LBV, on Tuesday.
On May 24th, Sisi was released into the wild in Klausbachtal together with her fellow cat Nepomuk. Nepomuk is a week younger and much smaller than Sisi – and will probably have to practice a little wing beats before he takes off. The two young birds come from neighboring Austria.
It was the third release of initially flightless bearded vultures in the Berchtesgaden National Park. The birds had been extinct in Germany for more than 140 years. Four more animals have been released since 2021: Wally, Bavaria, Dagmar and Recka. However, Wally was fatally injured by a rockfall last year.
With a wingspan of up to 2.90 metres, the bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) is one of the largest flying birds in the world. As part of a large-scale breeding project, young bearded vultures have been released into the wild throughout the Alps since 1986.