Vultures are magnificent creatures but too often misunderstood. Their carrion diet is most likely the culprit. Interestingly, their diet is also what makes them an integral part of ecosystems. How? By keeping the system disease-free. 

Vultures are important. By being nature’s clean-up crew they are an integral part of nature. Thanks to their carrion diet, they prevent the spread of diseases produced by decaying carcasses. Vultures also help cattle ranchers, not only because they clean up the fields, but also because they eliminate the need for the treatment and incineration of thousands of tons of animal remains every year.

The Griffon Vulture is the largest bird of prey in Cyprus and also the most threatened. The population is at a worryingly low level and breeding pairs scarce. In early June, three active vulture nests were found, one in Pafos district in an area where a significant colony of the species used to exist in the past. The nest belongs to birds which were brought from Crete through the GYPAS project. The other two nests were located at Episkopi Cliffs, which is where the largest colony of the species is found in what is the most stable breeding site of the species in recent years.

On Friday 12 May 2017, BirdLife Cyprus volunteers and staff, together with the Game and Fauna Service, carried out the annual spring census of the Griffon Vulture. The team of 20 observers covered eight look-out points spread across the vulture feeding range and known breeding and roosting cliffs, while the Game and Fauna Service set up cameras at the vulture feeding stations.

On Friday 9 December 2016, BirdLife Cyprus volunteers and staff, together with the Game and Fauna Service and the SBA Environmental Department, carried out the annual winter census of the Griffon Vulture for 2016/17. The team of observers covered seven look-out points spread across the vulture feeding range and known breeding and roosting cliffs, while the Game and Fauna Service set up cameras at the vulture feeding stations.

Seven Griffon Vultures Gyps fulvus met a tragic end, three of which were birds that were released in Cyprus in the framework of the successful GYPAS project which was carried out under the ‘Cross Border Cooperation Programme Greece-Cyprus 2007-2013’, while the remaining three were birds from the extremely small Cyprus population and one that was born at the Limassol Zoo and released. The birds were found dead in Paramali/Sterakovou area in the Limassol region in the last few weeks and were collected by the Game and Fauna Service and were sent for post-mortem examinations by the Veterinary Services.