I studied biology with a focus on learning and cognition in Innsbruck, Vienna, and Cambridge. After earning my PhD, I held several PostDoc positions before founding *Waldrappteam Conservation and Research* in 2001. The primary goal of this enterprise is to reintroduce a migratory European population of the critically endangered Northern Bald Ibis. To support this effort, I obtained a pilot’s license to personally lead the birds and teach them a new migratory tradition. From 2014 to 2019, I managed and successfully implemented the first European LIFE project for the reintroduction of the Northern Bald Ibis. Since 2022, a larger second LIFE project has been underway, led by Zoo Vienna and involving 10 European partners. This project will run until 2028, with my team and I tasked with general management, as well as releasing zoo-bred birds through human-led migrations. In addition to these conservation efforts, my team and I conduct extensive research on various aspects of bird flight and migration.