On May 3 and 4, 3 dead Vultures were found, including one adult and two nestlings from nests, in Paphos province. This is a huge blow for the species in Cyprus and this tragic event confirms how vulnerable this population is and how urgent it is to address the threats to the species.
More specifically, the adult bird found dead was Icarus, 4-5 years old, with a CCR ring number, which was tagged with a GPS transmitter in November 2019 in Limassol province. The Icarus, was found dead last Tuesday by members of the Game and Fauna Service in an 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 inspection, found that the nestlings in the area were dead with no evidence of their parents in the nesting area.
From the first moment the Poison 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, have been closely monitoring the cliffs in Episkopi to establish the presence of vultures and to confirm that the "operation" of the nests there continues without any problem. At the same time, close monitoring of other birds carrying transmitters is being carried out both in the field and through specialised wildlife monitoring software.
In order to ascertain 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. The incidents are being investigated by the competent authorities in order to establish the cause of death and if this is the result of a malicious act, then all appropriate efforts will be made to identify the culprits and zero tolerance will be shown in order to punish them in an exemplary manner so as to prevent further losses to the already highly endangered and vulnerable population of vultures on the island in the future.
From the indications so far, poisoning seems the most likely scenario, which is expected to be confirmed by toxicological tests. Already, the nationwide census of Vulture, which took place today, reinforces this heinous scenario, as a 50% loss of the population has been recorded compared to last year. More specifically, based on last year's census, the vulture population in Cyprus in 2021 numbered 15-20 birds, while today only 8 vultures have been recorded. 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 for the conservation of the species in Cyprus through the "Life with Vultures" programme.
It is recalled that the placing of poisoned baits is illegal and punishable by up to three years imprisonment and/or a fine of up to €20.000 under the Law on the Protection and Management of Wild Birds and Game, while in the 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.
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.
The "Life with the Vultures" project with BirdLife Cyprus, the Game and Wildlife Service, the Cyprus Environment Protection Foundation - Terra Cypria and the international organisation Vulture Conservation Foundation aims to halt the extinction of the Vulture by addressing its main threats and enhancing its population. More information about the project here: www.lifewithvultures.eu.
For more information:
Nikos Kasinis, Senior Game and Wildlife Service Officer, 99628338, lemesos.thira@cytanet.com.cy.
Melpo Apostolidou, Programme Coordinator, 22455072, melpo.apostolidou@birdlifecyprus.org.cy.
(NΓ)
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