Problems and measures against poisoning of birds in Bulgaria

Problems and measures against poisoning of birds in Bulgaria Nikolai Terziev/BSPB-BirdLife

The story of poisoning in Bulgaria

 Since 50‘s the use of poison baits is a common practice in the Balkan countries including Bulgaria;  In the 50‘s and 60‘ s the Forestry authorities and hunters were using poison baits to control “harmful” mammals, like foxes and wolves;  Poisoning was the main factor causing the collapse of vultures population on the Balkans just for 2 decades  In the 80‘s the use of poison was prohibited

The main reasons:  Loses of livestok caused by wolves  Conflict between hunters and shepherds/farmers and between local pople  Conflict between pegeon keepers and birds of pray  Damages on pigeons (local)

Human-predator conflict

Human-human conflict

The main players: Shepherds, hunters, farmers, pigeon breeders for different motives (persecution of „harmful mammals“, pest control, conflict between shepherds and hunters) The victims: - Egyptian vulture, Griffon vulture, Black Vulture, Golden Eagle, Imperial Eagle, etc.

The main substances used: Strychnine – banned but still available, widely used in the 50‘s and 60‘s against wolves; Carbamates - Carbofuran(Furadan) – pesticide banned in the EU; used in Kenya to poison lions; Methomyl(Lanate) – used by pigeon breeders; Poison coctails or the illegal use of legal substances

More recent poison cases

 Because of the strychnine poisoning the Black vulture went extinct as a breeder from Bulgaria and NW Balkans. Griffons, the raven and the wolf were on the edge of extinction in BG;  In 2003, at least 5 Egyptian vultures were poisoned near Krumovgrad, Eastern Rhodopes.

Since 1994 at least 16 Egyptian vultures were poisoned in BG;  Between 1980 and 2016 about 20 Griffon vultures have been found poisoned;  In BG the highest recorded mortality after poisoning occurred in 1996, when 5 adult, 1 subadult and 5 juveniles G.fulvus, were found dead (Hristov, 1997);

• 7 wolves, 5 sheperd dogs, 2 foxes, 1 stone marten, 1 hedgehog, 1 wild boar, one griffon vulture (reported from local hunter as falling from the sky).

• As poison baits were used intestines,head and legs from sheep and a carcass of • a calf killed by wolves.

• The police and the prosecuters started an investigation on the case • We suspect either strychnine or lannate (methomyl)

Causes of Egyptian vulture mortality Unknown 28% Poisoning 47%

Natural causes 6%

Bad health condition 6%

Direct persecution 10%

Electrocution 3%

Causes of Imperial eagle mortality Mortality of juvenile and immature Imperial eagles was recorded in the period 1992-2013, including 25 individuals; The use of lanate against Peregrines is a threat .

Causes of Imperialeagle mortality 4% 4% 32%

20%

4% 4% 4%

12% 16%

Collision

Exhaustion

Unknown

Predation

Extermination

Shooting

Poisoning

Electrocution

Injuring

Causes of Griffon vulture mortality

Falling from a nest 2%

injury 2%

unknown 20%

poisoned 44%

electrocution 10%

exhausted 10% shooted 12%

Imperial eagle population increase in Bulgaria Number of territories occupied by pairs

Number of pairs start incubating

Fledglings

35 30

Pairs

25 20 15 10 5 0 1994

1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

Years

2008

2010

2012

2014

2016

1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016

Griffon vulture population increase in Bulgaria

90

80

70

60

50

40 брой двойки

pairs

30

20

10

0

Status of the Griffon vulture populations on the Balkans

Anti-poisoning activities Provision of shepherd dogs

Maintaining feeding sites abd suplementary feeding Awareness raising Providing оf guradung dogs Training seminars for national authorities Targeted feeding in case of pisoning Anti-poisoning dog unitpopulations

Vulture population management

Education Development of the information system in the region Approved education programme

Bars!

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