Griffon vulture stowaway rescued and transferred to Sicily

A juvenile griffon vulture was the unlikely stowaway of a ship which arrived at Birżebbuġa Freeport from Istanbul last Friday.

The bird—which had probably sought respite on a passing ship during the crossing of the Mediterranean sea—was disoriented, weak and unable to fly away, the parliamentary secretariat for animal rights said in a statement.

Griffon vultures are predominantly found in South-East European, Eastern Mediterranean, Middle Eastern and Central Asian regions, and their appearance in the Central Mediterranean is rare.

Officers from the Administrative Law Enforcement Unit (ALE) managed to retrieve the bird from atop the crane it was perched on at the Freeport, after an assessment of its condition was carried out.

The assessment revealed that the bird would have otherwise been unable to survive, and over the weekend, officials of the Wild Birds Regulation Unit (WBRU) in close coordination with the ALE and the Veterinary and Phytosanitary Regulation Department, as well as in coordination with the CITES unit of the Environment and Resources Authority, coordinated arrangements with the Italian authorities for the bird to be transferred to Sicily where, after the necessary health procedures, the bird will be placed in the rehabilitation facility at Parco dei Nebrodi, which houses a small colony of griffon vultures.

Birdlife Malta provided care for the bird since Friday, arranged a veterinary examination of the bird’s condition and coordinated logistics for the bird’s eventual rehabilitation in Sicily. Volunteers are also due to transfer the bird to the Italian authorities in Sicily tomorrow. Ornithologist Dr Natalino Fenech also provided advice over the weekend concerning the bird’s welfare.