Birds of prey to join conservation programmes in Bulgaria

Eleven birds of prey will travel to Bulgaria to join breeding and release programmes in the country.

Five lesser kestrels, three griffon vultures, two Egyptian vultures and a saker falcon will leave the International Centre for Birds of Prey (ICBP) in Newent, Gloucestershire, in the coming weeks.

They will join breeding and release programmes with the organisation Green Balkans, which works to restore native species throughout Bulgaria.

The ICBP, which has been closed for almost seven months due to the coronavirus pandemic, has launched a fundraising appeal to fund the transport of the birds safely across Europe.

Jemima Parry-Jones, director of the ICBP, said: “We have sent birds to Green Balkans in the past and we are excited to have the opportunity to again.

“Both myself and our curator have visited the projects in Bulgaria and seen firsthand the good work they do.

“Any support people can offer is deeply appreciated, even if it’s just sharing the campaign to raise awareness.

“This year has been hard but we are determined to provide some good news.”

The three griffon vultures, named Delectable, Delicious and Wee Vulture, will be joining the release programme and eventually become part of the wild population in Bulgaria.

The saker falcon, lesser kestrels and Egyptian vultures are joining Green Balkans’ breeding programmes, with their future offspring being transferred to release programmes.

It will cost the ICBP, which is a registered charity, a total of £5,000 to send the birds to Bulgaria.

Anyone wishing to donate can visit www.icbp.org/get-to-bulgaria.