The monitoring of camera traps in the second supplementary feeding station, brought surprises and happy news for all regarding the conservation of the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) in Albania. Thanks to the trail camera installed, we could witness the presence of one Egyptian vulture for the first time in the second feeding station in the Kurveleshi region.
One of the individuals has been observed and captured while visiting, inspecting the station and tasting the fresh and delicious food, supplied recently by one of the members of the network “Savers of Egyptian vulture” (SEVN). The documented visits of the Egyptian vulture show that the station has fulfilled its mission of providing safe food for this mystic and at the same time a globally endangered species. Thanks to the support of this network, the station is being continuously maintained and circa 40 kg of food is delivered once per month for the local pair of Egyptian vultures. In addition, the other supplementary feeding station is also operating regularly providing 20-30 kg of food each week for another pair.
Supplementary feeding is considered a key management tool for the conservation of this scavenger. The provision of safe and high-quality food to target the species is believed to decrease the negative effects of many anthropogenic threats like the use of poisonous baits, one of the main causes that have brought the population of the species to the brink of extinction in the Balkans where only about 50 pairs have survived.
In the frame of the “Egyptian Vulture New LIFE project”, a network of supplementary feeding stations is operating to support the remaining Egyptian vulture population – respectively 2 in Albania, 3 in Bulgaria, 4 in Greece and 1 in North Macedonia.
