Vulture Conservation Foundation news bulletin
November 2020

Farmer who used poison baits in Andalusia, killing two Bearded Vultures, was convicted!

At last, some justice was served as the farmer who laced a sheep carcass with poison four years ago in Andalusia, killing several wild animals, finally got convicted. Two of the victims that died from this poisoning incident were Zafra and Bujaraiza, two Bearded Vultures released into the wild as part of the reintroduction project led by the Junta de Andalucía in collaboration with us here at the Vulture Conservation Foundation.

Unfortunately, this outcome is the exception to the rule since illegal wildlife poisoning rarely gets properly investigated and even more rarely reaches court and a conviction. This conviction became a reality after diligent and devoted work by the authorities, proper investigation and legal involvement. We applaud the efforts of everyone involved in bringing the perpetrator responsible to justice and urge authorities elsewhere to follow suit in taking this environmental crime seriously and taking the right measures to persecute criminals and combat this illegal practice!

Farmer who used poison baits in Andalusia, killing two Bearded Vultures, CONVICTED at last!

A successful Kick-off Meeting of the BalkanDetox LIFE Project

The BalkanDetox LIFE Kick-off Meeting took place on Monday, 30 November 2020, signifying the start of this important project that aims to fight illegal wildlife poisoning in the Balkans by raising awareness and strengthening national capacities.

The meeting successfully brought together all nine project partners with relevant stakeholders to discuss the project scope, objectives, deliverables and timeline, while also enabling new connections, expertise exchange and collaboration reinforcement.

A successful Kick-off Meeting of the newly launched LIFE project BalkanDetox LIFE

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Latest news about Europe's
four vulture species

Bearded Vulture

Attempting three new Bearded Vulture pair bondings in the largest specialized breeding centre of the species

Please participate in this survey if you observed or attempted to observe Bearded Vulture "Vigo" in the UK

Bearded Vulture reintroduction in Andalusia: a breakup led to two new pair formations, and 2020 welcomes a new territorial pair!

Pyrenees Bearded Vulture Peraire now flies in Maestrazgo where the species is being reintroduced

Research Review: Risk of exposure to diclofenac and other NSAIDs for vultures in Iberia and update on the situation in South Asia

Bearded Vulture pair built nest in Granada Province for the first time since the reintroduction of the species in Andalusia

Arrival of three Griffon Vultures to the most important Bearded Vulture Captive Breeding Centre to help monitor the West Nile Virus threat

Griffon Vulture

Arrival of three Griffon Vultures to the most important Bearded Vulture Captive Breeding Centre to help monitor the West Nile Virus threat

Two Griffon Vultures left Dresden zoo for a new island life in Sardinia

Research Review: Risk of exposure to diclofenac and other NSAIDs for vultures in Iberia and update on the situation in South Asia

Egyptian Vulture

From Italy to Mali: Captive-bred and released Egyptian Vultures reach sub-Saharan Africa

Research Review: Risk of exposure to diclofenac and other NSAIDs for vultures in Iberia and update on the situation in South Asia

Cinereous Vulture

Research Review: Risk of exposure to diclofenac and other NSAIDs for vultures in Iberia and update on the situation in South Asia

Latest news from our
vulture conservation projects

The LIFE RE-Vultures project, led by Rewilding Europe, aims to support the recovery of Cinereous and Griffon Vulture populations in the cross border Rhodope Mountain region.

Latest news
More fallow deer relocated in the Eastern Rhodopes to support vulture conservation and broader rewilding goals

The LIFE with Vultures project, led by BirdLife Cyprus, aims to save the threatened Griffon Vulture population in Cyprus by tackling key threats and restocking their population.

Latest news

Illegal use of poison baits in the Cypriot countryside killed one-third of the Griffon Vulture population in recent years

New study estimates the extinction risk for Cyprus Griffon Vultures and identifies priority actions for their conservation

The LIFE Rupis project, led by Portuguese wildlife organisation SPEA and co-funded by the MAVA Foundation, is working in the cross-border Douro region of Spain and Portugal to protect and strengthen the populations of Egyptian Vultures and Bonelli's Eagle.

Latest news
Released Bearded Vulture Sureau that can no longer fly due to injury has a new mission in life

Call for testimony for Dolomie — the reintroduced Bearded Vulture illegally shot and killed in France

The Balkan Anti-Poisoning Project is bringing together stakeholders in five Balkan countries to tackle illegal wildlife poisoning.

Latest news
From the Balkans to the Middle East: The vast travels of a wandering Griffon Vulture

Kajazo and Alex — a unique 'pairing'

Kajazo is a Bearded Vulture while Alex is human, so how can these two form a 'pairing'? Well, it's a one of a kind story, showing the commitment of experts in bringing back the Bearded Vulture to Europe.

Kajazo is a human imprinted Bearded Vulture that adopts a chick every year in captivity to rear it naturally, so that the little one can grow up to live in the wild and breed with its conspecifics. However, to recognize the adopted chick as his own, Kajazo first needs to go through the entire breeding period each year. But how is this possible since this vulture recognizes humans as his own species? He 'pairs' with his human keeper Alex, the VCF's Captive Breeding Vultures Manager and the Bearded Vulture EEP Coordinator, during the breeding period, which entails a lot of nest building and incubation of a dummy egg!

Kajazo - a human imprinted Bearded Vulture male 'pairs' with his human keeper to become a foster parent to a chick

Guide for attaching harness tracking devices to vultures and condors

Monitoring vultures and condors' movements and behaviour through tracking devices can contribute both to basic and applied research and conservation. Furthermore, this technology can help identify and tackle threats, enable conservationists to map and manage more appropriately nesting, roosting and foraging areas, and rescue birds on time, if something goes wrong.

However, there has been an urgent need to identify and disseminate expertise relating to the attachment of tracking devices to vultures and condors. To address these needs, the IUCN Vulture Specialist Group brought together global experts that have attached tracking and telemetry devices to vultures and condors using several methods and various designs and patagial tags to share expertise, discuss the safety of different techniques and so, help produce "A practical guide to methods for attaching research devices to vultures and condors".

We here at the Vulture Conservation Foundation follow the movements of several vultures as part of different projects. You can track the movements of all the European vulture species we tagged within our different projects and regions by visiting our online public maps.

Bearded Vulture online maps
Cinereous Vulture online maps
Egyptian Vulture online maps
Griffon Vulture online maps