Two bullets were found in the body of the killed Egyptian vulture Boyana

© Atanas Delchev

The veterinary-medical examination, carried out by specialists at the Green Balkans Rescue Center in Stara Zagora, Bulgaria, showed the presence of two bullets in the body of the Egyptian vulture shot near the city of Jebel. The District Prosecutor’s Office in the city of Kardzhali said that a forensic ballistics examination will establish whether it is possible to determine the exact weapon with which the bird was killed.

© Green Balkans

We remind you that in September, Boyana – the Egyptian vulture, whose story moved thousands of people around the world, was found dead with traces of a gunshot wound in the area of ​​the city of Jebel. She was the first Egyptian vulture, hatched in a European zoo, released and formed a pair in the wild nature of Bulgaria. The discovery of Boyana’s death came after a team from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPS) detected an “alarm signal” from the GPS transmitter of the bird.

The pre-trial proceedings are being monitored by the District Prosecutor’s Office in Kardzhali, and the investigative bodies are from the Regional Administration – Momchilgrad.

The Egyptian vulture is a globally endangered species and the fastest declining bird of prey in Europe. The species is protected and its prosecution falls under the provisions of the Penal Code, which stipulates imprisonment for up to 5 years and a fine of BGN 5,000 to BGN 20,000.

We remind you that in the last two years this is the second case of vulture poaching in the Kardzhali region after a Cinereous vulture was shot and later died of its wounds. Last year, another case shook the nature protection community not only in our country but also caused an echo in Europe – in Razgrad was caught a poacher, in whose home frozen corpses and preparations of more than 20 species of protected birds and mammals were found. Crimes against wildlife cause a significant decrease in biological diversity and can in an instant nullify years of effort to protect a species.

© Volen Arkumarev

BSPB and Green Balkans are working to save the Egyptian vulture from extinction through a large-scale project “Egyptian Vulture New LIFE” (LIFE16 NAT/BG/874), which unites the efforts of more than 20 organizations in 14 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa .