Reintroduction of the griffon vulture Gyps fulvus in Madonie Park

The Madonie, together with the Nebrodi and Peloritani mountains, form the Sicilian Apennines, a mountain range that represents an uninterrupted territory for the griffon vulture population in Sicily, especially for food foraging.

In 2021, the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale delle Sicilia promoted a scientific collaboration agreement with other entities aimed at encouraging the return of griffon vultures to the Madonie. These entities include the Regional Department of Territory and Environment of the Sicilian Region, the Park Entities of the Madonie and Nebrodi, Rotary International District 2110 Sicily and Malta, and the Municipality of Isnello.

In the Nebrodi, where there is a colony of about 300 griffon vultures, a result of a reintroduction project carried out by the Park Entity, debilitated or injured individuals are frequently recovered. To provide them with optimal assistance, in the summer of 2021, a large rehabilitation aviary was built in the Madonie, located at Contrada Terra Dei Poveri in the Municipality of Isnello, overlooking the cliffs of Balzo Trigna, a historic site where these birds were present until the 1950s.

The griffon vultures recovered in the Nebrodi, starting from August 2021, were moved to the Isnello aviary and monitored by the scientific technical staff of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia. After completing the rehabilitation period in the aviary, they were released back into the wild, equipped with identification marker rings.

In the Madonie, in addition to an optimal habitat, these vultures find a rich trophic resource due to the abundance of carcasses from grazing livestock (sheep, goats, cattle, and horses) as well as wild ungulates (fallow deer and wild boar).

Two feeding stations for necrophagous birds have been established in the Madonie, one at Contrada Terra dei Poveri in the Municipality of Isnello (PA) next to the griffon vulture rehabilitation aviary, and one at Contrada Piano Farina in the Municipality of Petralia Sottana (PA), at a point overlooking the Pollina River valley, the geographical boundary between the Madonie and the Nebrodi. Considering that there is currently an environmental emergency in the Madonie linked to the increasing population of wild ungulates (wild boars and fallow deer), which have far exceeded the ecosystem’s carrying capacity, the Madonie Park Entity is implementing a control plan that involves culling several thousand individuals each year. Thanks to the feeding stations and the presence of griffon vultures, the disposal of wild ungulate carcasses is carried out naturally, both for those culled under the control plan and those found along the roads, hit by vehicles.

In the Isnello aviary, in addition to the debilitated griffon vultures recovered in the Nebrodi Park, young one-year-old vultures from Spain have also been relocated. After a rehabilitation period, they are gradually released into the wild, following a six-month aviary stabilization period to ensure they can undergo their rehabilitation period or become familiar with the adoption environment where they are located.

For detailed information on the Griffon Vulture reintroduction project, we invite you to download the relevant documents at the following links:

Image Gallery:

Video Gallery:

Our camera traps continuously capture extraordinary scenes during the griffon vultures’ feeding at the Isnello carcass site.

Among the most striking footage, you can admire the griffon vulture Friulano in the foreground, easily recognisable by his green marker ring. In another particularly thrilling moment, an Egyptian vulture makes its appearance in flight among the griffons.

The colony is steadily growing thanks to the arrival of wild individuals that have joined ours, and the videos document this evolution: among the most significant events, the appearance of two Egyptian vultures diving down, offering a unique and fascinating spectacle.

Last video uploaded — 26/02/2026

Update – 30/09/2024:

Movements of griffon vultures in the territory from their usual location (Isnello) towards the Belice valley. This is evidence of the project’s success; indeed, these large vultures, although coming from Spain, now consider the Madonie their home. However, being still young, at 2-3 years old, they engage in their normal dispersal, which can last several days. But then they return home.

Update – 01/10/2024:

The project for the reintroduction of griffon vultures in the MADONIE is achieving good success. These images from October 1, 2024, show a large number of griffons, now part of the stable colony in Isnello, feeding on a carcass of deer. The abundant food found at the carcass dump in Isnello is an irresistible attraction.