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Griffin vultures return to Rila and Pirin mountains

Thu, Feb 18 2010 15:55 CET

byNick Iliev

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Griffin vultures return to Rila and Pirin mountains

Griffin Vulture

Photo: Ingrid Taylar

The white headed vulture, or the Griffin vulture (Gyps Fulvus), is set to make a historic return back to the Rila and Pirin mountain ranges in Bulgaria, territories which were once his hunting grounds.

Spain will donate 26 griffins, the Bulgarian news agency (BTA) reported on February 18 2010.

Initially they will be "acclimatised" near the village of Rakinta. Once the "period of adaptation" is over, they will be set free in the mountains. The acclimatisation period will last from five to 12 months, depending on the birds.

The griffins are still found in the Bulgarian Rhodope mountains but disappeared from Rila in Pirin towards the end of 1960s when the indiscriminate use of pesticides and poison aimed at mice, rodents and wolves eventually drove the vultures away, Dnevnik said.

The Griffin vulture reaches up to 110cm in length with a 270cm wingspan, and it weighs between six and 13kg.

Like other vultures species, the Griffin is a scavenger, feeding mostly from carcasses of dead animals which it finds by soaring over open areas, often moving in flocks.

It breeds on crags in mountains in southern Europe, North Africa, and Asia, laying one egg. Griffin vultures may form loose colonies. The population is mostly resident.

The birds were donated in Bulgaria under the Global Relief Foundation (GREFA), an NGO.

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Comments

Anonymous robert in france Thu, Feb 18 2010 22:44 CET
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i know times are hard for many bulgarians but to have vultures coming back to roost can this be a good thing?


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