Current:Home > FinanceSpanish griffon vultures are released into the wild in Cyprus to replenish the dwindling population-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Spanish griffon vultures are released into the wild in Cyprus to replenish the dwindling population
View Date:2024-12-23 21:04:16
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Wildlife authorities and conservationists in Cyprus on Friday released seven imported griffon vultures to the wild after implanting tracking devices in hopes of ensuring the survival of the birds that are threatened with extinction on the island nation.
A further seven vultures will be released in a week’s time. All 14 birds arrived last March and have spent several months acclimating. They were gifted to Cyprus by the autonomous community of Extremadura in Spain which hosts 90-95% of all vultures in Europe.
Cyprus Game and Fauna Service spokesman Nicos Kasinis told The Associated Press the tracking devices are necessary to observe whether the young birds are integrating well in the first, crucial weeks with the island’s 29 other griffon vultures. Officials will monitor whether they’re frequenting the same feeding and watering areas.
Griffon vultures are a resident species in Cyprus but their population has dwindled to dangerously low numbers. The local population has not been naturally replenished because the vultures, like other large bird species, avoid traveling long distances over water, Kasinis said.
A study has indicated that the birds’ extinction in Cyprus could happen within the next 15 years, so authorities, in conjunction with the conservationist group BirdLife Cyprus, have imported a number of vultures from Spain over the past year.
Some 15 Spanish vultures were released in Cyprus a year ago, of which 11 have managed to survive. Two of the birds died as a result of flying into electricity grid installations, one as a result of poisoning and another because of its inexperience and inability to integrate properly, according to the service.
Kasinis said the poisonings didn’t target vultures but were traps laid primarily by livestock farmers who want to ward off other predators like foxes.
Nonetheless, the Cyprus Game and Fauna Service has set up two patrol teams of sniffer dogs trained to identify poison bait in the wild. Kasinis said some of this poison, which is banned in the European Union, has found its way from the breakaway Turkish Cypriot north of ethnically divided Cyprus.
Other anti-poisoning measures include law enforcement training on averting wildlife poisonings and a stepped-up information campaign.
A further 15 griffon vultures will be brought over from Spain and released to the wild next year.
veryGood! (12)
Related
- Jake Paul's only loss led him to retool the team preparing him to face Mike Tyson
- Jimmy Kimmel fires back after Trump slams 'boring' Oscars: 'Isn't it past your jail time?'
- NFL free agency QB rankings 2024: The best available from Kirk Cousins to Joe Flacco
- Biden is issuing a budget plan that details his vision for a second term
- Threat closes Spokane City Hall and cancels council meeting in Washington state
- Investigation says Ex-Colorado forensic scientist manipulated DNA test results in hundreds of cases
- Biden says he regrets using term illegal to describe suspected killer of Laken Riley
- Brutally honest reviews of Oscar best song performances, including Ryan Gosling
- Crews battle 'rapid spread' conditions against Jennings Creek fire in Northeast
- USWNT defeats Brazil to win inaugural Concacaf W Gold Cup
Ranking
- Indiana man is found guilty of murder in the 2017 killings of 2 teenage girls
- NFL free agency QB rankings 2024: The best available from Kirk Cousins to Joe Flacco
- Jessica Alba and Cash Warren's 2024 Oscars Party Date Night Is Sweeter Than Honey
- ‘Oppenheimer’ crew keeps it low key, other winners revel at Vanity Fair’s Oscar after-party
- Queen Elizabeth II's Final 5-Word Diary Entry Revealed
- Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt trade 'Barbenheimer' barbs in playful Oscars roast
- Monica Sementilli says she did not help plan the murder of her L.A. beauty exec husband. Will a jury believe her?
- South Carolina beats LSU for women's SEC championship after near-brawl, ejections
Recommendation
-
More than 150 pronghorns hit, killed on Colorado roads as animals sought shelter from snow
-
Read all about it: The popularity of turning captions on
-
Dozens of Indian nationals duped into joining Russia's war against Ukraine, government says
-
Luke Burbank on taking spring ahead to the next level
-
California teen pleads guilty in Florida to making hundreds of ‘swatting’ calls across the US
-
Baker Mayfield re-signs with Buccaneers on three-year deal
-
Why Christina Applegate Is “Kind of in Hell” Amid Battle With Multiple Sclerosis
-
See Emma Stone, Margot Robbie and More Stars' Fashion Transformations for Oscars 2024 After-Parties