Decades of work to return extinct species to Bulgarian nature are at risk after the alleged deliberate poisoning of eight vultures in the “Central Balkan“ region. Among the dead birds is Boev – the first bearded vulture released in our country as part of efforts to restore the species. Experts define the incident as a heavy blow not only for nature conservation programs, but also for the vulture population in a large part of the country.
The dead birds were found near a bait that was supposedly soaked in poison. Initially, the park rangers found five vultures of different species, but during the subsequent search of the area, the number of dead birds reached eight.
The autopsies performed showed similar signs in all the vultures found, which, according to experts, point to poisoning.
„The autopsy found that all the birds had the same signs, resembling poisoning. A decoy was found near the place where they died. I think the poison was quite serious. 10 of us did the autopsy and we took turns going out because we were feeling sick. "We were dizzy, our eyes burned, our skin was irritated," said Dr. Adriana Jamalova from the "Green Balkans" Rescue Center.
The samples will be sent for analysis to three different laboratories abroad in order to compare the results and identify the substance that caused the birds' death.
"In our opinion, the poisoning was probably due to a pesticide, but we are awaiting the final analyses," said Dr. Jamalova.
Environmentalists warn that the consequences of the case go far beyond the territory of the "Central Balkans". Among the dead are birds related to different regions of the country, which makes the case a serious blow to efforts to restore and protect the population.
"The case represents a huge resource of people and funds in order to have a stable ecosystem. The scale of this crime went beyond the "Central Balkans", because a pair of vultures were found from Kotel, "Vrachanski Balkan" and a vulture from Madzharovo. With one such action, the population of the entire Southern Bulgaria was affected, said Dr. Hristina Klisurova.