The summer months are the period when young griffon vultures decide to test their wings and fly for the first time, which sometimes ends unsuccessfully, with the vultures ending up in the sea, requiring urgent rescue and recovery. On the occasion of releasing a young griffon vulture named Grif, which ended up in the sea during its first flight in mid-July but was promptly rescued and successfully rehabilitated at the Visitor Center and Vulture Rehabilitation Center in Beli on the island of Cres, project coordinator LIFE SUPport Ivana Ribić from the Biom association appeared on N1 TV studio.
The LIFE SUPport project aims to improve the breeding and survival conditions of griffon vultures, the last remaining species of scavenging birds in Croatia, which nests on the Kvarner islands. Ivana Ribić emphasized the importance of mitigating and removing the threats faced by griffon vultures, such as food shortages, disturbance from noise at nests, poisoning, and collisions with power lines. She also spoke in the N1 TV studio about the role of the SUPpatrol volunteers, who educate tourists and boaters around the Kvarner islands on how to behave near griffon vulture nests, which are located on cliffs above the sea.
“The reactions to boats were interesting; when there was a lot of noise, the chick hid behind the rock. Like any wild animal, it should be respected. Our entire project is focused on eliminating threats,” says Ribić.
You can watch the full interview with Ivana Ribić from Biom and Mašenka Vukadinović from N1 TV on YouTube.
