Gyps

One third of the pairs of Egyptian vultures left on the Balkan peninsula reside in Bulgaria.

For the first time in many years, there is some ground for optimism as the population of the Egyptian vulture in Bulgaria has slightly increased, private bTV stations reports.

A hatchling was born into a family of Egyptian vultures living in Bulgaria this week, helping preserve a species whose numbers are rapidly declining across the region, a non-profit has said.

Bulgaria's capital Sofia has elected the griffon vulture to become its ugly animal mascot in a first-ever vote held by a city outside of the UK.

The vote comes as part of a campaign run by the Ugly Animal Preservation Society.

A German Zoo has sent three griffon vultures to Bulgaria, in a push to reintroduce the birds to reintroduce them into one of their natural habitats.