Everybody needs somebody… even Egyptian vultures!

21.06.2014

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After recovering from the lead intoxication it had suffered, Castor, the Egyptian vulture found in bad condition on the 1st of May in the North of Greece, was released back into the wild. HOS/BirdLife Greeceteam members fitted Castor with a satellite transmitter that would provide valuable information of its whereabouts. Having just reached adulthood (Castor was ringed as a chick in Bulgaria in 2010), Castor’s behavior and travels are of high interest for the project researchers, who now, thanks to the transmitter fitted on its back, can begging to understand the dispersal patterns of the species; these movements are particularly  interesting in such a fragmented population as the Balkan one.

Although Castor seemed to initially like the area where it had been released (Kastoria region, close to the location where it had been found), after a couple of weeks it seemed to be missing something: company! No other Egyptian vulture has been observed in the area, so it was probably this need what pushed it to travel practically 400 km to the other side of the country, to the National Park of Dadia, home to the species last stronghold in Greece. Here, Castor has the chance to “socialize” with other Egyptian vultures and who knows, even maybe find its future partner!

Click here to see where will Castor decide to travel next!

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