The FWFF shared experience and supported the introduction of the system in Mesolongi, Greece, one of the most important griffon vultures areas in the Balkans where individuals from all over the peninsula overwintering.
Following the catastrophic incident of poisoning of the Griffon Vulture colony in the region of Mesolongi in Greece in February 2020 (see here) The Fund for Wild Flora & Fauna (FWFF) took part in equipment of five Griffon Vultures with GPS transmitters by providing advisory and logistical support to the management body of Mesolongi National Park in Greece. Our organization provided three GPS transmitters from its own project, and a total of 5 were mounted on Griffon Vultures on March 6 and 7, 2020. Two of the birds were successfully rehabilitated from poisoning in February 2020, for which incredible efforts were made by the ANIMA Rescue Center (https://www.wild-anima.gr/en/ ) in Athens. The other three Griffon Vultures were equipped with transmitters and returned to nature after being bred for several years in captivity at another rescue center in Greece. The release of the vultures – poison detectives happened at a special ceremony near Mesolongi, attended by conservationists, locals and officials.
Five transmitters working at a time in one vulture colony are considered to be the minimum required to ensure reliable control of bird behavior and rapid response to poisoning incidents.
The FWFF has gained considerable experience first in responding to the case of Kresna Gorge, Bulgaria in March 2017, and subsequent application in the cases in Agrafa, Greece in 2018 and in Vrachanski Balkan, Bulgaria in 2019.
The revolutionary use of transmitters as a tool for intensive monitoring and in-time control of threats to wildlife such as poisons and poaching has been described in a manual (see here).
Already, 5 of the six major vulture regions in the Balkans are covered by the Early Warning System, with the number of vulture detectives used increasing steadily with the help of donors such as LIFE, WFN, VCF and others.
Three GPS transmitters were provided by the FWFF under a project funded by the Whitley Fund for Nature (https://whitleyaward.org ) to create an early warning system for wildlife poisoning by intensive tracking of vultures with GPS transmitters and creating Vulture Safe Areas: https://whitleyaward.org/winners/wolves-bears-and-vultures-bulgaria/
Two other GPS transmitters have been made available to the Mesolongi National Park by the Vulture Conservation Foundation (https://www.4vultures.org ) under small grants for a Balkan Anti-Poison Project (BAPP – https://www.4vultures.org/our-work/anti-poisoning/balkan-anti-poisoning-project/ ), funded by the MAVA Foundation (http://mava-foundation.org ).
We hope that this case of Griffon Vulture poisoning in Mesolongi and the actions against it will lead to a change that will ensure the conservation of these increasingly vulnerable, and so useful and majestic birds.
