Protected griffon vulture spotted on Zagreb highway rescued
- by croatiaweek
- in News
(Photo credit: Zagreb Zoo)
A rare sight in the Croatian capital on Monday night when a protected griffon vulture was spotted near the Zagreb bypass close to the turnoff for Velika Gorica.
To assist the bird, a team from the Zagreb Zoo, ranging from the field team of the Zagreb Shelter for Abandoned Animals to the institution’s director, immediately responded and went to the scene.
The Griffon vulture is strictly protected by law and each one is highly valuable. Unfortunately, the attempts to capture it were unsuccessful.
The bird appeared weak but also extremely frightened, fleeing as soon as people started approaching.
“We informed several agencies about it. It was crucial to locate it before it weakened in the wilderness, far from human sight. We were elated when we received a new tip yesterday morning that the eagle had been sighted. It remained close, not far from the marshalling yard between Buzin and Velika Mlaka,” Zagreb Zoo reported.
As the field is situated near a busy road, two police teams also came to their aid. The officers secured the part of the road where their vehicles were parked and made sure that nobody disturbed us during the demanding operation.
“It was vital that the bird didn’t fly off due to any sudden movement or noise.In order to approach it without causing fear, the head of our field team, Darko Ozmec, literally crawled through the field. The Griffon vulture seemed to understand that the man wanted to help and eventually entrusted itself to his care,” Zagreb Zoo added.
(Photo credit: Zagreb Zoo)
At the Zagreb Zoo’s wildlife rehabilitation center, the Griffon vulture was thoroughly examined. It was exhausted, slightly underweight for its age. It is a young bird. Although its recovery is uncertain, the fact that it wanted to eat is a good sign.
(Photo credit: Zagreb Zoo)
How it ended up in Zagreb remains unclear. Perhaps it lost its way. Some of the European Griffon vulture population, the largest scavenger birds on our continent, spend the warmer part of the year in the Alps and then descend south in autumn, with some reaching the Adriatic coast. It’s there that the Croatian population of eagles nests and breeds.
