Over 20 dead white storks have been found in the Gabrovo region, all of them found under the same electric pole, announced Dr. Rusko Petrov, manager of the "Scientific, Educational and Environmental Protection" department at the "Green Balkans" Wildlife Rescue Center, quoted by BNT.
Following the signals received about increased stork mortality in the area of the landfill near Gabrovo, a team from the Rescue Center has conducted an on-site inspection. Five bird carcasses that will undergo a veterinary medical examination to determine the cause of death and to confirm or reject the version of electric shock.
“All dead birds, which are now over 20, were found under the same electric pole“, said Dr. Petrov.
The results of the examination will be sent to the relevant institutions, including the Municipality of Gabrovo, in order to initiate a procedure to secure the electrical network in the area. According to Dr. Petrov, this is necessary because the poles are used by migrating storks as resting places.
“These are young birds that are currently in the process of migrating and are using Bulgaria as a place to recover their strength so that they can continue south“, he said.
Dr. Petrov noted that in recent years, significant progress has been made in Bulgaria in securing risky sections of the power transmission and distribution network. According to him, in the last two or three years, when reports of areas with high bird mortality are submitted, measures have been taken to secure them.
“Over the last six-seven-eight years, quite a few risky areas have been secured, in which there was a very high mortality of various bird species. I can safely say that for the last two or three years, when we submit signals, we see that after a certain period of time this network is secured“, he pointed out.
The problem with the power grid is not specific only to the Gabrovo region. According to the Wildlife Rescue Center, numerous signals have also been received from the Valchi Dol region, Varna region, where victims have also been identified among white storks during migration.
“The victims of the poles in Bulgaria are not only white storks. They are also many other different species of protected birds on the territory of Bulgaria. Storks are simply larger and more recognizable than the residents themselves, who find them dead, and that is why the reports are most often mainly about white storks,“ explained Dr. Petrov.
During inspections of similar places, common buzzards, white-tailed eagles, imperial eagles, golden eagles, kestrels and ospreys have also been found. According to him, this shows that the problem affects a wide range of protected bird species.
Meanwhile, the Rescue Center has received a new report about two more dead birds in the Gabrovo region. The case will be further reported in order to provide assistance and take measures to secure the specific section of the electrical network more quickly.
The results of the veterinary and medical examination of the five corpses will provide additional information about the cause of the birds' death and will be provided to the competent institutions.