The Biblically named “king of the birds” occupies a special place in a land whose ancient prophets regarded its flight as a metaphor for religious exaltation.
The griffon vulture is not only unsightly, smelly and endangered, it is also often deprived of its biblical fame.
Struck by accidental poisoning and urbanization, Israel’s griffon vulture population has fallen to about 180, says Yigal Miller, head of endangered raptor programs at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.
Under the “Under our Wing” project run by this organization and the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel, the next generation is being raised in captivity before being released into the desert with tracking tags.
“We raise the vulture birds … and after several years, we release them back into the wild,” Miller said.
Named “Nesher” in Hebrew, the bird has often been mislabeled in various biblical texts, including the King James version of the English Bible, which in Exodus describes God as bearing the Israelites on the wings of eagles rather than vultures.
According to the Biblical Museum of Natural History, many people still feel as uncomfortable as those 17th-century Bible interpreters in identifying the vulture as a noble bird in Scripture.
“The vulture is [nowadays] generally considered a disgusting creature,” explains its Web site.
“But in the Middle East, the griffon vulture is the king of birds.”
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