Hunted to near extinction, Italy’s vultures helped to soar once more

THEY were pushed to the brink of extinction by shooting and poisoning, but vultures are now back with a vengeance in Italy.

Their habit of feeding off carrion may not endear them to the public, but an alliance of conservation groups has succeeded in significantly boosting their numbers.

From being extinct or nearly extinct a few decades ago, all four species native to Italy are now bouncing back with the help of funding from the EU.

The renaissance has been brought about by deliberate reintroduction from countries such as Spain and Austria, as well as a campaign to halt the killing of the big birds.

The griffon vulture was reduced to isolated strongholds in Sicily and Sardinia but there are now an estimated 135 breeding pairs, from the Alps in the north to the Apennine mountains, which run the length of the country.

The lammergeier, renowned for dropping bones on to rocks in order to crack them open to reach the nutritious marrow inside, was declared extinct in 1912 but in the last decade has returned. There are now estimated to be 230.

Also known as the bearded vulture, it is thriving in many parts of the Alps, including in the South Tyrol region.

The Egyptian vulture, once critically endangered in Italy, has also recovered, although numbers are still small.

About 10 pairs live in the far south of Italy and in Sicily, but hope for the future growth of the colony was provided in December when a migratory bird from France turned up in the island’s Nebrodi national park.

The black vulture, declared extinct in 1960, is also edging back into Italian territory. They have been spotted in FriuliVenezia Giulia, on the border with Slovenia, as well as down in Campania.

Across Europe as a whole, there are an estimated 2,000 breeding pairs, 90 per cent of them in Spain and Portugal.

Vultures still face threats, however. They inadvertently eat poisoned bait that farmers leave out for pests.

In some national parks, rangers are encouraging the return of vultures by leaving out the carcasses of animals such as sheep and lambs.

“We should be very proud. Vultures have returned to parts of Italy where they have not been seen for a century,” said Fulco Pratesi, from WWF Italy.