Another Case of Poisoned Vultures

Four black vultures and a griffon vulture have been poisoned in the area around the village of Ticha, Kotel municipality, the NGO Green Balkans said on January 14.

This is the second such incident in the past four years.

Bulgarian biodiversity law prohibits the killing of vultures, and any such act is a criminal offence, yet this does not deter those who leave poisoned bait.

• Black vultures found dead near Kotel, poisoning suspected

“This case is serious because so many black vultures have died. It is the largest incident recorded for this species and the second occurrence in this area. We found one pair just two days ago. These birds were expected to help boost the population,” said Emilian Stoynov on BNT's breakfast programme 'The Day Begins'.

Yuli Ivanov from Green Balkans explained that this is the first time a recurrence has occurred within the same territory, and that a new type of poison was involved.

“In this case, it is a slow-acting poison, meaning the birds ate the bait three to four days earlier. They do not die at the site of the bait, but several kilometres away,” he added.

To date, there has been no case in Bulgaria where a suspect has been formally charged for such an act.