Sattelites will follow an Egyptian vulture rescued in Greece

• Home
• Useful information
• Sattelites will follow an Egyptian vulture rescued in Greece

 
This story begins three weeks ago when a livestock breeder from the area of Meteora (Central Greece) found an agonizing Egyptian vulture next to the body of a dead dog and took it to his local vet. This quick and altruistic intervention most probably saved the life of the bird and activated a network of collaborations between ANIMA (a wildlife rescue centre), the University of Thessaloniki (responsible of the toxicological tests), the Hellenic Ornithological Society and WWF-Greece. While the results of the analysis are still pending, it is suspected that the most probable cause for the tragedy is illegal poisoning.

 Two week later the bird had recovered thanks to the professional care of the team at the centre, and the vets decided it was time to set it free. The combined efforts of our colleagues in Greece, the BSPB team and the management at the Russenski Lom Nature Park allowed us to fit the vulture with a satellite transmitter. Thus we will be able to monitor the movement of the bird during its breeding season, as well as its migration later on in the year.

Sadly, the recovered bird returned to an empty nest; since the event, its partner has disappeared and it is feared it may have also fallen victim of poison. For the time being, the marked bird doesn't stray farther than 7-8 kilometers from its nest.

The BSPB together with the Hellenic Ornithological Society (HOS), the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) - Greece, and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) are partners within the five-year international project 'The Return of the Neophron', aimed at the conservation of this globally threatened species on the Balkans. The project is funded by the LIFE+Programme of the EU and by the A. G. Leventis Foundation.
 
 
For more information:

 Victoria Saravia
 vsaravia@ornithologiki.gr 

 Vladimir Dobrev
 vladimir.dobrev@bspb.org