Today, camping tourists from Sofia have found a dead bird from the same species, obviously poisoned, near Е79. The immediate reaction of the regional veterinarian, the employees of the Park and the team of Fund for wild flora and fauna, working on the “New life for the vultures” project, aiming recovery of the vulture population in Kresna gorge, saved the life of the bird. It was immediately transported to a veterinarian clinic in Blagoevgrad and then to the Wildlife center in Rakitna. The dead vulture was autopsied in the Wildlife rehabilitation center – Green Balkans in Stara Zagora and the result will be used as an evidence for conviction of the criminal case in the court.
The respective institutions – RIEW, the police and Bulgarian food safety agency will be notified and their representatives will collect documentary evidences about the criminal act to raise pretrail proceedings in the court.
The use of poison baits for killing large predators is strictly prohibited and is pursued by law. Poisons are non-selective killing method of large predators, causing extremely torturing and cruel death and moreover, the poison accumulates in the food chains and lasts for a very long period of time. Once set, the poison may enter groundwater, game, plants or edible mushrooms and even cause human death.
In 2016 the colony of Griffon vultures in Kresna gorge managed to increase by breeding and raised two chicks, which have already left the nests successfully. Currently two Griffon vulture pairs are incubating eggs in the gorge and three others are hesitating whether to breed here or in Demir kapija gorge on Vardar river in Macedonia. 60 birds have been released since 2009 and in January this year a record was achieved of 66 birds spotted altogether on the rooster in Kresna gorge.
Pictures and source of the news: FWFF
For additional information: Emilian Stoynov, Fund for wild flora and fauna, mob. phone: 0878573841
