Three rescued Egyptian vultures brought to Oman

Muscat: Three Egyptian Vultures – an endangered species - were rescued from a zoo in Bahrain and brought to Oman, on Thursday.

It was a collaborative effort involving Environment Society of Oman and Raptor Rehab, an organisation dedicated to the conservation of indigenous birds of prey.

Nicknamed the white scavenger vulture, the birds are found in southwestern Europe, north Africa and India. Crude population estimates put the number of the species at anywhere between 12,000 and 38,000.

According to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) the Egyptian vulture population has declined in virtually all parts of its range; experiencing a 90 per cent decline in India during the last decade. Its population has halved in Europe over the last three generations; alongside significant declines reported in the African and Arabian populations.