Filenews 17 November 2021
In the coming days, the first Vultures arrive by air from Spain to strengthen the extremely reduced population of the species in Cyprus. The import of birds from another country is part of the efforts to overturn the forecasts that want the Cypriot population to disappear within the next 15 years, if targeted conservation actions are not implemented.
According to an announcement by BirdLife Cyprus, the introduction of vultures takes place within the framework of the "Life with Vultures" program, which aims to prevent the disappearance of the Gyps fulvus Pyrochros Vulture from the island and at the same time to strengthen its population and preserve it in the long term.
Today, the Cypriot population of the Vulture numbers around 18-20 individuals, of which only two or three pairs reproduce successfully. Due to the extremely small number of vultures that Cyprus now has, the slow rate of reproduction of the species and the poisonings, the population cannot recover without human intervention", stresses the Association. At the same time, it mentions predictions that want the Cypriot population to disappear within the next 15 years, if targeted conservation actions are not implemented, such as tackling the use of poisoned baits, which is the most serious threat to the species, and strengthening the population by importing birds from another country.
Through the program "Life with Vultures", about 25 Vultures will be introduced with the aim of reaching the Cypriot population of 45 birds at least by the end of the program (2023). At the same time, the program implements actions to address the threats and especially to reduce the use of poisoned baits in the countryside, which is the main reason for the species's extinction. After their arrival, the Vultures will remain in a specially designed acclimatization cage of the Game and Fauna Service for 3-4 months, before being released into the Cypriot nature to join the Cypriot population. All birds will be placed transmitters to monitor their movements and to intervene in time for rescue in case a bird is in danger.
The birds will be imported from Spain as the country hosts 90-95% of Europe's vultures, with the population of the Pyrochros Vulture numbering 30,000 pairs. Importing birds from other regions to support populations is an accepted and widespread practice around the world aimed at saving endangered species. The importance of strengthening the population with people from other areas has also been proven in Cyprus, as the pairs that nest today in Cyprus are mostly birds that were introduced to our island from Crete through an earlier effort in the framework of the PROJECT GYPAS (2012-2014).
The vultures that will arrive on our island will be welcomed by the partners of the program "Life with the Vultures" as well as representatives of departments, services and other stakeholders in a short pick-up event at the warehouses of the company Airtrans Aviation, which grant the space for this purpose, at the old Larnaka airport, on Friday, November 19 at 17:30.
The "Life with Vultures CY" project aims at the recovery and conservation of the Pyrochros Vulture in Cyprus. Partners of the project are BirdLife Cyprus, the Game and Fauna Service, Terra Cypria - the Cyprus Foundation for the Protection of the Environment and the international organization Vulture Conservation Foundation. The Vulture Conservation Foundation has years of experience in the field of vulture import and cooperates with Spain in the framework of programs for the reintegration and import of vultures in other regions in Europe. The program has a budget of €1,375,861, has a duration of 4 years (2019 – 2023) and is co-funded (60%) by the LIFE programme, the EU's financial instrument for the environment. More about the program here: www.lifewithvultures.eu
