RESULTS OF THE REINTRODUCTION OF GRIFFON VULTURE (GYPS FULVUS) IN VRACHANSKI BALKAN NATURE PARK, NW BULGARIA
GEORGI STOYANOV¹*, EMILIAN STOYNOV², ELENA KMETOVA-BIRO³, IVELIN IVANOV³,
NADYA VANGELOVA², ZLATKA NIKOLOVA³, TAMARA LAZAROVA¹
1 – Birds of Prey Protection Society, 23 Golyam Bratan Str., 1618 Sofia, Bulgaria, www.bpps.org; bpps@abv.bg
2 – Fund for Wild Flora and Fauna – 49 Ivan Michaylov str, office 327, P.O. Box 78, 2700 Blagoevgrad, BULGARIA, www.fwff.org ; pirin@fwff.org
3 – Green Balkans – Stara Zagora – 9 Stara planina Str., Stara Zagora 6000, BULGARIA, www.greenbalkans.org, officesz@greenbalkans.org
*Corresponding author: bpps@abv.bg
Keywords: Gyps fulvus, Griffon Vulture, conservation, Neophron percnopterus, adaptation, release, feeding site, reintroduction
Abstract: In 2003 a project for the reintroduction of Griffon Vulture started in Vrachanski Balkan with its preparation phase, when a feasibility study was elaborated. At 2015, the project is still on-going. The programme is led by the Birds of Prey Protection Society (BPPS) together with the Green Balkans - Stara Zagora NGO and the Fund for Wild Flora and Fauna, supported by the Vrachanski Balkan Nature Park Directorate as a local partner.
The first supplementary feeding site for vultures in the area was established in 2004 in an attempt to attract Griffon Vultures that migrate through the area. A specialized adaptation aviary and a second supplementary feeding site nearby were built in 2008.
In April 2009 the first group of 8 Griffon Vultures imported from Spain was accommodated into the adaptation aviary. The first release of 8 birds took place in October 2010. Groups of Griffon Vultures have been released every year since then and at 2015 the total number of birds released is 43.
The largest numbers of Griffon Vultures identified and present in the area of release through the years have been as follows: 2010 – 7 ind.; 2011 – 12 ind.; 2012 – 13 ind.; 2013 – 29 ind.; 2014 – 46 ind.; 2015 – 53 ind. The largest number of simultaneously observed Griffon Vultures in the area is 53, counted in September 2015.
The first breeding attempts of two pairs were reported in 2014, but they were unsuccessful. In 2015 a total of five breeding pairs were observed of which one pair successfully raised an offspring. This has been the very first successful reproduction and the first young Griffon Vultures fledged into the wild registered in the Balkan Mountains of Bulgaria for more than 60 years.
Mortality caused by electrocution on a 20 kV aerial power line was found out as the main negative factor impacting the Griffon Vultures released in the area. A total of four individuals were found electrocuted out of the 43 Griffon Vultures released in the area.