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Date Published: 29/07/2021
ARCHIVED - Griffon vultures begin to breed again the Sierra Espuña
After sixty years, four mating pairs of the scavenger birds have been spotted in the Sierra Espuña natural park
In 1992, the griffon vulture virtually disappeared from the Sierra Espuña, a 25,000-hectare park spanning the boundaries of Alhama de Murcia, Totana, Mula, Librilla, Aledo and Pliego, and in 1979 there were no nesting pairs reported at all in the region.
Four breeding couples have nested in the protected park according to sources consulted by La Verdad, and have produced four chicks, with the fledglings expected to take flight in the late summer.
This small breeding group joins the vultures already recorded in Caravaca de la Cruz, Lorca and Moratalla (Mojantes, Peña María, Valdeinfierno and Sierra del Tejo), where 240 pairs are located.
According to regional government sources, young vultures have visited the Sierra Espuña over the past few years but none have stayed long enough to nest, most likely due to the limited food sources in the area. Until recently, any livestock which died on the land had to be removed and incinerated, but now livestock farms in Casa Nuevas in Mula and Los Alhagüeces in Lorca are permitted to deposit carcasses in dedicated feeding spots to feed these scavenger birds.
A similar system has been introduced in the Andalucían Community, where the largest populations of vultures are living in Spain, and the carrion attracts hundreds of vultures, with tourists flocking to the area to witness their feeding.
The griffon vulture feeds not on live animals but on carrion. It uses its exceptional eyesight to locate food but in recent years, it has become increasingly common for younger birds in particular to suffer from malnutrition, and these are often found by members of the public and taken to wildlife recovery centres for feeding, until they are strong enough to resume scavenging for themsleves.
There have been several documented cases in Spain of starving griffon vultures attacking weak animals, and in May 2013 the international media picked up the story of a 52-year-old woman who fell to her death while hiking in the Pyrenees only to be eaten by the birds of prey before emergency services could get to her. It was reported in several grisly accounts that when her body was recovered, only her clothes and a few bones remained.
According to the Ministry of Water, Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Environment, the principal causes of death for young vultures is a lack of food, ingesting poison and collisions with electricity wires and wind turbines.
Spain accounts for about 90 per cent of the entire European population of griffon vultures and, for this reason, assumes a great responsibility in its conservation. Scavenger birds such as the griffon and black vultures, bearded vultures and Egyptian vultures play a very important role in our ecosystem, since they facilitate the recycling of organic matter and, above all, eliminate the carcasses of other animals, thus preventing diseases dangerous to both people and other animals.
These are large birds and males can have a wingspan of between 2.3 and 2.8 metres, with adult males weighing in at up to 10.5 kilos.
Image: Archive
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