Cyprus Mail 11 March 2025 - by Johanna Pauls
BirdLife Cyprus on Tuesday morning said another vulture was found dead under a voltage power line of the electricity authority (EAC) in the Korfi area of Limassol.
According to BirdLife, the two-year old male vulture showed “apparent burns and clear indications of electrocution to his body”. An autopsy was ordered to unambiguously determine the cause of death, meanwhile police have launched investigations into the case.
BirdLife says that approximately one third of the endangered vultures in Cyprus have died of electrocution by the EAC’s power lines in recent years.
“We urge EAC to immediately implement effective measures such as adequate isolation and replacement of wires,” BirdLife said, emphasising the need for future power network expansions to consider their impact on wildlife.
The electrocuted vulture was brought to Cyprus as part of conservation efforts introducing vultures from abroad that began in 2012, when only around eight vultures remained.
With only 37 vultures remaining, Cyprus has the smallest vulture population in Europe, six of which were killed by electrocution in 2024 alone.
After (deliberate) poisonings, electrocutions and collisions with power lines are the second-leading cause of death not only for Griffon vultures, but also for the rare Bonelli’s eagles in Cyprus.
Even if poisonings, as one of their most significant threats, were eliminated, it would take more than 55 years for the population to recover naturally.
