Guides Fly Fifteen Waldrapp Birds to Spain

Morocco's last big wild population fell from 9,000 to 250 birds late in the twentieth century. Austria and Jerez then started breeding and reintroduction plans. The Catalan work opened in 2024. The county is in the middle of Austria and Jerez, so birds can pause there. Aiguamolls Park, a protected wetland, works with the team. Garrigós calls the birds intelligent and sociable. The birds are curious and full of trust. Fear of people, he says, is missing, because they have not known predators. Twenty years of foster-parent practice helped the group avoid early mistakes, and the death rate is much lower. Birds have young only from the age of three or four. With luck, a first pair may appear within two years.

Across the coming decade, Garrigós wants at least 50 pairs for breeding, plus about 300 wild birds at Alt Empordà. He wants colonies across Europe, tied to the work in Austria and Jerez, so different families can have young and the genes stay strong. Endesa, a large electricity company, is changing pylons so this bird can see them and face less danger. Garrigós says people must prevent extinctions and protect habitats, not only stop new damage.