Updated location of tagged vultures
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Paschalis
Paskalis is Egyptian vulture, hatched together with Katerina in 2013, in Dadia. His migration began on September 13, heading straight to south and he reached Crete. Paschalis flew over 400 km on September 14, overcoming the Mediterranean. Thus he became the first juvenile Egyptian vulture with transmitter that overflew the sea. Only after 10 days he went to southern Niger, flying over the Sahara, 3 countries and more than 2,500 km - impressive journey for a young vulture. A short visit in Chad followed and a ten-day tour in Nigeria in early November, then came back to Niger. Unfortunatelly, in early March 2014 we understood that Pachalis had been killed. The last signal from the vulture was received on 27 February 2014 from a place 140 km from the border with Nigeria. Next the signals received came from a house in a small village. A few days later, the transmitter was taken out to Nigeria. This was New evidence for illegal trade in endangered vulture parts to feed the black magic market in Nigeria and Niger that has been uncovered with the help of the partners of the LIFE+ project from Bulgaria and Greece and other partner organizations in Africa.The illegal scheme, which involves traditional vulture hunters and traders, was uncovered thanks to the Egyptian vulture, Paschalis, who was killed in Niger. The satellite transmitter allowed the unraveling of the illegal scheme. This case is just one of many in the region between Nigeria and Niger, where vultures and ravens are massacred in large numbers for traditional “magic” ceremonies and rituals.