From 13 to 16 July, the Macedonian Ecological Society (MES) organized a study visit to the Eastern Rhodopes in Bulgaria as part of its project “Study Visit to the Vulture Reintroduction Center in Eastern Rhodopes.

Between June 2 and 6, the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) organized a youth conservation and educational camp in the “vulture town” of Madzharovo. Eight participants with a strong interest in birds and nature conservation took part in the event.

This year we mark the “Earth day” 50th anniversary with a visually stunning new exhibition, showcasing the natural wonders of the Eastern Rhodopes. This year the event has gone digital and so did we.

Black and griffon vultures were discovered dead in Rhodope mountains in Bulgaria in March. So far, the causes of the two deaths of rare birds in the Greek and Bulgarian parts of the Eastern Rhodopes are not confirmed.

With the first anti-poison dog units patrolling the Rhodope Mountains rewilding area from 2016, their counterparts on the Greek side of the border are also carrying out equally valuable work.

First Anti-poison Dog Unit in Bulgaria started patrolling in Rhodope Mountains in 2016. The main objective of the Unit is to create poison-free areas by controlling and removing poisoned baits before they can cause damage. However, pioneers on the Balkans are two Greek Canine Teams especially trained for the detection of poison baits. Since 2014 WWF Greece and Hellenic Ornithological Society are working in Thrace and Central Greece. Patrols cover mainly the territories of last Egyptian vultures in Greece, but not only. Here is an insight into the work of the WWF Greece’s Anti-poison team.

The birds, tagged with GPS transmitters in Dadia National Park in Greece, will offer additional insight into black vulture behaviour and movement on and around the Balkan Peninsula. By supporting conservation measures, this will hopefully reinforce the comeback of this magnificent yet endangered species.

The first weekend in September saw a crowd of more than 40 people gather in the town of Madzharovo, in Bulgaria’s Rhodope Mountains, to mark International Vulture Awareness Day Taking place across the world on this weekend every year, the day is designed to publicise and promote the conservation of vultures to a global audience, and to celebrate the splendour of these endangered birds.

With an informative publication, Rewilding Europe and ARK Nature present a new way to support Europe’s scavengers.

Despite its catastrophic impact on Asian vulture populations in the 1990s, veterinary diclofenac is still used and marketed in countries such as Spain and Italy. The Vulture Conservation Foundation, a partner of Rewilding Europe in the LIFE Vultures project in the Rhodope Mountains rewilding area, has launched a campaign to ban its use in Europe.