Two Egyptian vultures were poisoned in northern Greece recently (first week of April). Pictures and a text in Greek can be found on the website of the Hellenic Ornithological Society and on the Return of the Neophron website. In short... these birds were found because one of the vultures had been fitted with a satellite radio transmitter (like Assamo). Its name was "Lazaros". Lazaros was first poisoned in 2012 in Greece, but was rehabilitated, fitted with a transmitter and released. It migrated south and spent this past winter in Chad (also a place where we know vultures are persecuted and killed). This spring it was migrating back to its summering area in Greece when it was poisoned again.
Illegal poisoning of scavenging is a problem in many parts of the world. In this case it is likely that poisoned baits had been set for other predators, most likely mammals like foxes or dogs. The Egyptian vultures then fed on the bait and died. At the bait that first poisoned Lazaros was found a poisoned dog, and two weeks earlier in the same area two foxes were found poisoned.
Illegal poisoning of scavenging is a problem in many parts of the world. In this case it is likely that poisoned baits had been set for other predators, most likely mammals like foxes or dogs. The Egyptian vultures then fed on the bait and died. At the bait that first poisoned Lazaros was found a poisoned dog, and two weeks earlier in the same area two foxes were found poisoned.
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