Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) finally reappeared in Albania, reviving hopes of restoring it to the country.
Reports of the presence of this species in Albania, according to the existing literature, have been extremely rare, proving that its presence has been almost unusual.
In 1857, Lilford provided information on the presence of Cinereous Vulture in Butrint (Saranda). Exactly half a century later, Lodge (1907) reported seeing an individual in Durrës. Many years later, first Zeko in 1963 and later Nowak in 1989 give information about the presence of this species as resident but without providing specific data on the distribution and abundance.
Now, after nearly 112 years, two individuals of this species tagged with satellite transmitters have visited our country on two different dates:
Initially, on March 29th in Albania passes “Chrysoula”, a young individual tagged in November 2017 in Dadia, Greece by the National Park Managing Authorities, WF Greece and the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) within the project ” Conservation of Black and Griffon Vultures in the cross-border Rhodope Mountains”. ” Chrysoula “entered Bilisht, crossed over Ostrovica and Memaliaj, approached the city of Vlora and descended south through the river Vlore are until and continued towards Greece. Please check the bellow photos to see visualized the a Chrysoula’s journey to Albania.
A few days later, on April 23, 2019, in Albania, “Riga”, another Cinereous Vulture, released in 2018 in Kotel, Bulgaria from the Fund for Flora and Wild Fauna (Bulgarian NGO), in the framework of the project “Vultures Back to Life”. Riga came from Konica, Greece, crossed throug Përmet along the Vjosa Valley, continued through the eastern part of Albania to reach Kukës and then Prizren (Kosovo), stayed in Uvac, Serbia and returned again to Kotel, Bulgaria. Follow the Riga’s journey to Albania through the pictures below!
Efforts for the conservation of vultures are significantly increased across the Balkans, including Albania. Species, once thought as extinct are now reappearing. It will take a lot of work and efforts to bring them back to the previous state. With your essential support will continue to give our best to ensure their return as sooner as possible in Albania. 
