{"id":1869,"date":"2021-12-13T20:59:44","date_gmt":"2021-12-13T19:59:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/new.lesaiglesduleman.com\/the-reintroduction-programs\/"},"modified":"2024-06-26T13:58:02","modified_gmt":"2024-06-26T11:58:02","slug":"the-reintroduction-programs","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.lesaiglesduleman.com\/en\/reintroduction-program\/the-reintroduction-programs\/","title":{"rendered":"The reintroduction programs"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The project<\/h2>\n

The idea of a reintroduction program<\/strong> was born in the head of Jacques-Olivier TRAVERS in 2007. At that time the white-tailed sea eagle had disappeared from France since 1959 (Corsica) and 1892 (Thonon les Bains) and the hopes of a quick return seemed very slim.<\/p>\n

\u00ab Ever since I was a child, I’ve had a passion for this eagle, which I discovered in a book by the Swiss ornithologist Paul G\u00e9roudet, and I immediately dreamt of seeing it again in the skies over our country. It’s been a long road, because there were very few of them in captivity and the naturalist community wasn’t very keen on undertaking a reintroduction programme.\u00bb<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Gros\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Bredding success<\/h2>\n

In 2007, there were almost no white-tailed eagles in captivity in France and reproduction of the species in zoos was rare. The Park of the eagles of L\u00e9man brought the first individuals from Russia in 2009. From 2012 the first couple is formed; it will take four years to reproduce. From 2017 new couples are formed and gradually 2 then 3 pairs reproduce each year. Thanks to the cooperation of French zoos (Puy du Fou, Amn\u00e9ville, Le Pal, Terre de Nata\u00e9, Volerie des Aigles) and European zoos (Veldhoven zoo, le monde sauvage), 10 pairs, including 7 breeders, will be housed at the Aigles du L\u00e9man during 2021.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

To make the species known<\/h2>\n

To reintroduce a species, it is important that it is perfectly accepted by the public who will be in contact with it. We have chosen to do a national communication campaign to make the public discover this species. As we don\u2019t have big means at our disposal, we have chosen to make an original campaign based on the production of films and innovative events. During the years 2014 to 2019 we have participated, written, directed, or produced more than a dozen documentaries on white-tailed sea eagles. At the same time our birds have been seen from the Eiffel Tower, the Burj Khalifa, the Olympic Stadium in London, in Vienna, Berlin Rotterdam\u2026The images from the cameras on the backs of our eagles have revealed a unique view of the great glaciers of the Alps, the deserts of the Middle East or the Greek islands\u2026<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Photo\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"Pygargue\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

Creating a consensus<\/h2>\n

We wanted to make this reintroduction a true regional project and create strong local support. To do this, we consulted all the stakeholders for nearly 2 years: Naturalist association, fisherman, elected officials, scientists, teachers. Through studies, consultations and improvements, the project has gained general approval, which has been reinforced by the discovery of the last reproduction in continental France at Thonon les Bains. This gives all its sense to this project strongly anchored in the preservation of the local heritage.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t

The parental hacking, our method<\/h2>\n

For a long time, falconers and naturalists have understood that young birds are able to learn to fly and hunt alone in their first weeks of life. The young birds are taken from nests in the wild or in zoos, brought to the reintroduction area, raised together and then released with food supplementation for a few months. This technique has been tried and tested in reintroduction programmes all over the world, and is known as the Hacking or cleat method.<\/p>\n

However, the abrupt separation from the parents and the short time spent at the reintroduction site seem to limit the return of the birds to adulthood and the survival rate of the young. Similarly, trying to reduce the flight distance of eagles is becoming a necessity in a world where human presence is increasingly prevalent. Our idea is to try to improve these three points with a new technique that we have named: the parental hacking.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The young are raised directly on the reintroduction site by their parents in an aviary until they are 8 weeks old, when they are placed in an outdoor nest but in contact with the parents, simply separated by bars. They will thus be able to emancipate themselves at their own pace without any break with the parents. This will not create any trauma linked to the separation with the parents and to the transport to an unknown release site.<\/p>\n

In 2022, for the first year of the programme, we found that while the double nest technique (photos attached) worked perfectly, the timing of the reintroduction had two drawbacks:<\/p>\n