The Gipeto Herculis (BG0849)

After years of uncertainty, it has finally been possible to begin shedding light on the origins of the first nesting pair of bearded vultures in the Canton of Ticino.

In mid-December 2025, while observing from a great distance through a telescope, it was possible to make out part of a ring on the paw of the male—the father of Lepontino I and Lepontino II.

With the help of Franziska Lörcher of the Gipeto Foundation—the researcher who physically tagged the young bearded vulture at the time of its release—the bird was identified as Herculis (BG0849). Herculis was born at the Berlin Tierpark (Germany) on March 9, 2015, but was later raised by the breeding pair housed at the Ostrava Zoo (Czech Republic). He was released into the wild on June 6, 2015, in the Maritime Alps Park (Cuneo) as part of the reintroduction project that began 40 years ago. The actual release took place on July 1. Before his release, Herculis was fitted with a satellite tracking device, as was a second individual, Roman (BG854), who was also released at the same location. Herculis lost his tracking device in 2016! The story continues… in Ticino.

The couple from Ticino

Since the fall of 2020, when the pair formed—consisting of an adult female (at least seven years old) and a male with incomplete adult plumage, and therefore about six years old (born in 2015), it has always been considered important to find an answer to this question. The two birds have been monitored discreetly and with great dedication as they moved about the region they chose. This is because, ever since the species returned to nest in the Alps (thanks to the reintroduction project), the Canton of Ticino has always been located in a geographical area quite distant from the two main breeding populations (to the west, the Valais/ Aosta and Haute-Savoie “core,” and to the east, the Graubünden and Stelvio core).

This initial finding—given the species’ philopatry—proved to be more surprising than we had expected. The male of the first pair of bearded vultures to nest in the Canton of Ticino turned out to be Herculis, an individual that did not originate from either of the two “main populations” mentioned earlier, but from an even greater distance.

An extraordinary story that we’ll continue to share with you…

Video of Herculis’s release in the Alpes-Maritimes – June 6, 2015 https://youtu.be/Zq23QZphNNw?si=Av7wqDGP4uzCsnJt