Jon Clarke (Publisher & Editor)By Wendy Williams
A FAMILY of Egyptian vultures are now giving regular updates on Twitter and Facebook.
The every move of four of the stunning ‘Alimoche’ vultures – Sahel, Trigo, Duna and Vegade – is being tracked via the internet.
Using GPS technology the birds have been monitored as they migrate on their 15-day journey south across Andalucia to Africa.
The rare birds, who spend half the year near Segovia, are giving hourly updates on their own blog.
The WWF project entitled ‘El Viaje del alimoche’ (The journey of the vulture) hopes to raise awareness of the critically-endangered
It follows the discovery of a vulture named Atlas, who had been wearing one of the satellite transmitters and had been deliberately poisoned in Badajoz along with 13 other birds of prey.
Thanks to the discovery the police were able to prosecute the person responsible.
Now, a website has been set up with information on the species, pictures and videos.
Even better, as we went to press, it had just been announced that the four vultures have all arrived safely at their destination in the southern Sahara, taking just 15 days to fly the 3,000 miles.
Gema Rodriguez, the project co-ordinator said: “This project allows us to know their life better, their migrations and habits in Africa.
“But not only that it allows us to save their lives easier if we catch them in time after ingesting poison.”
The Egyptian Vulture is now one of the most endangered birds of prey with 1000 dying in Spain in the last decade.
There could be as few as 10,000 left in the world.
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