More than 20 dead white storks were discovered in the Gabrovo area, all of which were found under the same power pole, said Dr. Rusko Petrov, head of the Scientific, Educational and Conservation Activities Department at the Green Balkans Wildlife Rescue Centre.
Following reports of an increased number of stork deaths in the area of the landfill near Gabrovo, a team from the Rescue Centre carried out an on-site inspection. Five bird carcasses will undergo veterinary examination to establish the cause of death and confirm or rule out the possibility of electrocution.
“All of the dead birds—which now number more than 20—were found under the same power pole,” Dr. Petrov noted.
The results of the examination will be sent to the relevant institutions, including Gabrovo Municipality, with a view to initiating a procedure to make the electricity network in the area safer. According to Dr Petrov, this is necessary because the pylons are used by migrating storks as resting places.
“These are young birds that are currently migrating and are using Bulgaria as a place to regain their strength so that they can continue south,” he said.
Dr Petrov noted that significant progress had been made in Bulgaria in recent years in making high-risk sections of the electricity transmission and distribution networks safer. He said that over the past two or three years, when reports had been made about areas with high bird mortality, measures to improve safety had been taken.
“Over the past six, seven or eight years, quite a few high-risk areas where there was a very high mortality rate among different bird species have been made safer. I can confidently say that over the past two or three years, when we report such cases, we have seen that after a certain period of time, the network is made safer,” he said.
The problem with the electricity network is not limited to the Gabrovo area. According to the Wildlife Rescue Centre, numerous reports have also been received from the area of Valchi Dol in the Varna region, where white storks have also been found dead during migration.
“The victims of electricity poles in Bulgaria are not only white storks. There are also many other species of protected birds across Bulgaria. Storks are simply larger and more recognisable to the local residents who find them dead, which is why reports most often concern white storks,” Dr Petrov explained.
Inspections of similar sites have also found common buzzards, white-tailed eagles, golden eagles, Bonelli's eagles, kestrels and honey buzzards. According to him, this shows that the problem affects a wide range of protected bird species.
Meanwhile, the Rescue Centre has received a new report of two more dead birds in the Gabrovo area. The case will be reported to the relevant authorities so that assistance can be provided and measures can be taken more quickly to make the specific section of the electricity network safer.
The results of the veterinary examination of the five carcasses will provide further information about the cause of the birds' deaths and will be submitted to the competent authorities.
Source: BTA
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