Critically endangered vulture chick hatches at London Zoo for first time in 40 years

A critically endangered Rupell’s griffon vulture has hatched at London Zoo, becoming the first vulture to hatch at the site in more than 40 years.

The fluffy grey chick, weighing just 115g at hatch, had a dramatic start to life as footage from the London Zoo’s new vulture nursery shows.

First-time mother Philomena laid her egg in mid-January and while zookeepers were excited, they were also concerned for the chick’s survival.

To ensure the best chance of hatching, the team moved Philomena’s egg, which they nicknamed “Egbert”, to a special vulture incubator, where they kept it at a toasty 36.8°C and monitored it closely.

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