A total of nine dead vultures were found in the "Central Balkan" National Park, after five poisoned birds of prey were reported late on Tuesday, and a griffon vulture in critical condition later died. Thus, the number of dead birds is eight vultures and one raven, Nova TV reports.
The first dead birds were found on August 18 in the "Central Balkan" National Park. One griffon vulture was found in critical condition and died late on Tuesday, the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds reports. The presumed cause of death is poisoning.
A total of four black vultures were found, another griffon vulture, the only bearded vulture in Bulgaria, which was released into the wild by the team of “Green Balkans“ last year, and a raven. After receiving a worrying signal from the GPS transmitter of one of the black vultures, marked by the BSPB, Dr. Dobromir Dobrev and Nikolay Terziev with the trained dog Buda - the squad of the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds for combating poisons in the wild - set off for the location.
Representatives of the Directorate of the “Central Balkan” National Park, RPU - Karlovo and ODBF - Plovdiv also arrived at the scene of the incident. The BSPB team found some of the dead birds while patrolling a difficult-to-reach terrain at an altitude of over 1800 meters above sea level, scattered over an area of about half a square kilometer near the winter trail to Botev Peak. A carcass of a cattle was also found in the area, most likely set as a poisonous bait for predators. Today it became clear that another black vulture had died, bringing the total number of killed birds of this species to 9.
The tagged black vulture, whose data was used to locate the scene of the incident, was donated by Spain to Bulgarian nature within the framework of the initiative “Return of the Black Vultures to the Rhodopes“, which is coordinated by the BSPB with the participation of the “Wilder Rhodopes“ Foundation and international partners.
"Poisoning of wild animals is not only a problem for Bulgaria. Spain has also gone through a very difficult period, in which poison was among the main causes of vulture mortality. The difference is that for years mechanisms have been built there for early detection, investigation and sanctioning of these crimes, including specialized training of institutions and field work. The result is that cases of poisoning are decreasing significantly. This shows that the problem can be solved when there is a consistent state policy and real implementation of the law“, said Dr. Dobromir Dobrev.
The use of poisoned baits is illegal and poses a serious threat not only to protected species, but also to other animals and people. The penalties provided for in Bulgarian legislation are imprisonment for up to 5 years, as well as significant fines of up to 11,000 euros. After the serious incident was identified, a report was filed with the "Crimes against the Environment and Wildlife" sector of the "National Police" Directorate. Actions were taken in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code. The case is particularly worrying, as it occurred on the territory of a national park and affects species whose recovery in Bulgaria is the result of decades of conservation efforts.