The National Incubation Center for Birds of Prey

The National Incubation Center for Birds of Prey is located on the lower level, next to the parrot displays. At the incubation center, the bird department's team handles eggs of birds of prey arriving from breeding cores all over the country, from the wild and from zoos, as well as from our zoo, and takes care of the safe incubation and hatching of the chicks.

The incubation center was established as part of a national and global project of preservation, protection, and even reintroduction to nature of the rare birds of prey in Israel, headed by the Griffon Vulture.

In Israel, birds of prey are considered protected species, and many efforts are being made to preserve them: in some areas, feeding stations have been set up where carcasses are provided.

Birds of prey found poisoned or injured are treated  at the Wildlife Hospital located in the Safari, the Electric Company shields high-voltage lines in order to protect the birds of prey from electrocution, and outreach and enforcement actions are carried out in order to prevent the use of dangerous poisons as pesticides.

The incubation center at the zoo focuses mainly on the Griffon Vulture. The center's goal is to significantly increase the amount of chicks that hatch and reach the point of release into the wild of the birds of prey included in the program.

Among the species incubated so far at the center:

Griffon Vulture, Barbary Falcon, Lesser Kestrel, Bonelli's Eagle, Egyptian Vulture, White-tailed Eagle, Lappet-faced Vulture and others.

Partners of the center: the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.

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Photo: Michal Erez

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