Bearded vultures have been sighted regularly in the Bernese Oberland in recent years, as the canton of Bern and the Pro Bearded Vulture Foundation wrote in a message on Wednesday. However, there has been no successful brood in recent years. 

The cantonal hunting inspectorate does not disclose the exact location of the nest in order to protect the sensitive bearded vultures from possible disturbances. The Bernese hunting inspector Niklaus Blatter is quoted in the message as saying that the bearded vulture is an asset to the fauna in the canton of Bern.

Bearded vultures were native to the Bernese Oberland until the end of the 19th century. An ornithological map from 1889 shows the regions around Gsteig and Meiringen as the last places of retreat for the bearded vulture in the Bernese Alps. The animals were deliberately exterminated during this time.

Bearded vultures have been resettled in the Alpine region for 35 years. But they are still rare. The population in the entire Alps is estimated at around 300 animals. According to the Canton of Bern and the Pro Bearded Vulture Foundation, it is growing continuously.

Breeding pairs now live in 13 territories in the canton of Graubünden and in eight territories in the canton of Valais.

(translated by Xiaoyan Hu)

Read the original story here.