Wild animals Bearded vulture couple raises chicks at Goldau Zoo
With the help of a vet, a bearded vulture chick has hatched at Goldau Nature and Animal Park. The young animal is now being raised by its natural parents.
24.02.2026, 16:35
SDA
As the Goldau Nature and Animal Park announced on Tuesday, the 36-year-old bearded vulture mother Mascha laid the egg on December 29, 2025. Due to problems with the chicks hatching in previous years, those responsible at the nature and animal park replaced the egg with an artificial egg shortly before it hatched.
The real egg was then hatched in an incubator. When it was time, the chick pecked at the shell but did not hatch, so a vet intervened, according to the nature and animal park. On Tuesday, the chick was handed over to the parents, who were still looking after the artificial egg.
Mother Mascha and 33-year-old bearded vulture father Hans immediately accepted the chick and began to look after it. The zoo attributed this behavior to the bearded vulture's pronounced breeding instinct.
According to the zoo, it remains to be seen where the chick will later spend its life. It is possible that the young animal will go to another zoo, but it is also possible that it will be released into the wild.
