The population of Saker Falcons in Bulgaria declined throughout the 20th Century with the last confirmed nesting attempt in 1998.
In 2006, Abu Dhabi initiated conservation projects in the southern Balkans, collaborating with local conservationists to develop a programme to captive breed and restore Saker Falcons in Bulgaria. Since 2019, our efforts in Bulgaria have intensified with ground-breaking results. In 2023, 19 young captive-bred Saker Falcons were released. After four years of the current programme, a total of 73 captive-bred Sakers have been released in Bulgaria using the ‘wild hacking’ technique. One bird fitted with a transmitter wandered widely through Bulgaria and neighbouring countries, frequently returning to the hack area after long exploratory journeys.
Project Outcome
Two pairs of released Saker Falcons bred in the wild in Bulgaria in 2023. These reintroduced wild pairs raised six chicks.