The discovery last week of three dead Vultures one adult and two juveniles in Paphos district is "a huge blow" for the species in Cyprus, the Game and Wildlife Service and BirdLife Cyprus said in a joint press release. This tragic event confirms how vulnerable this population is and how urgent it is to address the threats to the species, as the vulture population in Cyprus in 2021 numbered 15-20 birds, while today only eight vultures have been recorded, it said.
According to the press release, on May 3 and 4, three dead Vultures were spotted, including one adult and two nestlings from nests, in Paphos province.
More specifically, it is reported, the adult bird found dead was Icarus aged 4-5 years old, with a CCR ring number, which was tagged with a GPS transmitter in November 2019 in Limassol district.
The Icarus, it is added, was found dead last Tuesday by members of the Game and Fauna Service in the area of Agios Ioannis in Paphos district, following information received from officials of the Forestry Department. The following day, members of the Game and Wildlife Service, after an on-site check, found that the nestlings in the area were dead with no signs of their parents in the nest area.
"From the evidence so far, poisoning[/B] seems the most likely scenario, which is expected to be confirmed by toxicological tests," the press release said. It added that, for the purposes of ascertaining the causes of death of the above birds, which may be linked, the dead birds were sent for necropsy as well as for the necessary toxicological tests.
They say the incidents are being investigated by the relevant authorities to determine the cause of death and if it is the result of malicious action, "then all appropriate efforts will be made, every effort will be made to identify the culprits and zero tolerance will be shown in order to make an example of them so that in the future further losses to the already highly endangered and vulnerable vulture population on the island can be prevented.
"Already, the nationwide census of Vulture, which took place today, reinforces this heinous scenario, as a 50% loss[/B] of the population has been recorded compared to last year," it said. More specifically, it added, based on last year's census, the vulture population in Cyprus in 2021 numbered 15-20 birds, while only eight vultures have been recorded today.
"This is a huge blow to the Cypriot vulture population, with the loss of birds that were in the process of breeding, as well as a setback to the efforts made to conserve the species in Cyprus through the Life with Vultures programme," it adds.
According to the press release, from the very first moment the Poisoned Bait Detection Teams have been investigating the areas where the transmitter-bearing birds have moved in recent days, while the "Life with Vultures" project team in collaboration with the British Bases Authorities are closely monitoring the cliffs in Episcopi to ascertain the presence of vultures and to confirm that the "operation" of the nests there continues without any problem, it is reported. At the same time, close monitoring of other birds carrying transmitters is carried out both in the field and through specialised wildlife monitoring software.
It is recalled that placing poisoned baits is illegal and punishable by up to three years in prison and/or a fine of up to €20.000 under the Law on the Protection and Management of Wild Birds and Game, while in case of substantial damage to a protected species such as the Vulture, the Law on the Protection of the Environment through Criminal Law provides for a penalty of up to ten years' imprisonment and/or a fine of €500.000.[/B]
Finally, the Game and Wildlife Service and BirdLife Cyprus invite anyone who knows anything about the above incident to contact the Game and Wildlife Service.
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