SmartBirds
The first dead birds were found on 18 August in Central Balkan National Park. One griffon vulture was found in critical condition and died late last night. Poisoning is the suspected cause of death. A total of four cinereous vultures, another griffon vulture, the only bearded vulture in Bulgaria, which was released into the wild by the Green Balkans team last year, and a raven were found dead.
After a concerning signal was received from the GPS transmitter of one of the cinereous vultures tagged by BSPB, Dr Dobromir Dobrev and Nikolay Terziev, together with the specially trained dog Buda – our wildlife anti-poisoning response team – immediately headed to the location. Representatives of the Directorate of Central Balkan National Park, Karlovo Police Department and the Regional Food Safety Directorate in Plovdiv also arrived at the scene.
The BSPB team found some of the dead birds while searching the difficult terrain at an altitude of over 1,800 metres. The victims were scattered across an area of approximately half a square kilometre near the winter trail to Botev Peak. A cattle carcass was also found in the area, most likely placed there as a poisoned bait intended for predators.
It became clear today that another cinereous vulture had died, bringing the total number of dead vultures to nine.
Nikolay Terziev and Buda – BSPB’s anti-poison team. Photo: Dr Dobromir Dobrev – BSPB
The tagged cinereous vulture whose GPS data enabled us to locate the site of the incident was donated by Spain to support vulture conservation in Bulgaria as part of the initiative “Return of the Cinereous Vultures to the Rhodopes”, coordinated by BSPB with the participation of the Wild Rhodopes Foundation and international partners. “The poisoning of wild animals is not a problem unique to Bulgaria. Spain has also gone through a very difficult period, when poisoning was one of the major causes of mortality among vultures. The difference is that, over the years, mechanisms have been developed there for the early detection, investigation and sanctioning of these crimes, including specialised training for institutions and fieldwork. As a result, poisoning incidents have decreased significantly. This shows that the problem can be addressed when there is a consistent government policy and effective enforcement of the law,” said Dr Dobromir Dobrev.
Bearded vulture Boev. Photo: Dr Dobromir Dobrev – BSPB
The use of poisoned baits is illegal and poses a serious threat not only to protected species, but also to other animals and people. Under Bulgarian legislation, such offences can carry penalties of up to five years’ imprisonment, as well as substantial fines of up to €11,000.
Following the discovery of the serious incident, a report was filed with the Department for Crimes against the Environment and Wildlife at the General Directorate of the National Police. Measures have been taken in accordance with the Code of Criminal Procedure.
The case is particularly alarming because it occurred within a national park and involves species whose recovery in Bulgaria is the result of decades of conservation efforts.
Dead griffon vulture. Photo: Nikolay Terziev – BSPB
