17 red kites released in Aspromonte National Park

On August 7, 2024, 17 red kites were released in Aspromonte National Park. These were ten young individuals from Switzerland, five juveniles from Corsica, and two red kites, one juvenile and one adult, which had been found in distress in Basilicata in recent months.
Thanks to the valuable work of CRAS Centro Recupero Animali Selvatici (CRAS Wild Animal Recovery Center) in Matera and the collaboration of the Basilicata Region, it was possible to transfer and release the two individuals from Lucania to Aspromonte to contribute to the reintroduction program of the LIFE MILVUS project.
The day before the release, all the animals were fitted with GPS and metal identification rings thanks to a complex operation involving staff from the CERM Association Threatened Raptor Center, the Park, the StOrCal Association and the Cooperativa Tutela dell'Aspromonte.
After opening the aviaries that have housed them for some time, the red kites began to flutter around and quickly began to use the nearby feeder, specially stocked to support them in the delicate phase of acclimatization in the wild.
Surprisingly, three days after the release the 17 specimens were joined by Flo, a female red kite that had been released in Aspromonte National Park last year. Flo returned to the release area after wandering the length and breadth of Italy since Sept. 25, 2023, between Sicily, Basilicata, Puglia, Molise and Abruzzo.