The two bearded vultures, Terre and Tornade, are about to take flight in the sky of the Grands Causses

Administratrice au Parc national des Cévennes, Marylène Mieyre est marraine de Tornade. DR

Depuis 2012, 38 gypaètes ont été lâchés en alternance entre les gorges de la Jonte en Lozère et les gorges du Trévezel en Aveyron.

Terre and Tornado are preparing to take flight in the sky of the Grands Causses. These two female bearded vultures were deposited in a rock cavity in the Jonte gorges on Monday May 13. Born in the specialized breeding center of Guadalantin in Andalusia, the two female bearded vultures, aged around three months, were baptized by the children of the Vebron school.

Terre is sponsored by Stéphan Maurin, mayor of Pont-de-Montvert-Sud-Mont-Lozère and president of the board of directors of the Cévennes National Park. Tornade's godmother is Marylène Pieyre, administrator of the Park.

Earth and Tornado have been ringed, equipped with GPS tags and several of their feathers have been bleached according to an individual code, to facilitate their identification and tracking in the wild.

This operation is part of the European reintroduction program for the bearded vulture Life Gyp’Act which brings together numerous territories and partners, including the Cévennes National Park and the Regional Natural Park of the Grands Causses under the aegis of the LPO Grands Causses.

Since 2012 – first year of reintroduction of the bearded vulture in the Grands Causses – 38 bearded vultures were released, alternately, in the Jonte gorges in Lozère or in the Trévezel gorges in Aveyron. To this day, 11 of them are still present in the sky of the Grands Causses.