Griffon Vulture:
Serbia abounds in diverse flora and
fauna. However, that natural treasure rapidly dwindles and gets depleted with
time. We are the main cause of it, and we are also the only ones to stop it,
and prevent the irreversible and inestimable losses that occur due to our
negligence and irresponsibility. There are 215 plant and 429 animal species in
Serbia which have been put under our country’s strict protection as natural
rarities. Among the endangered animal species there are 273 bird species, as
well as 66 mammal species. The protection also extends to 41 species of
invertebrates, 34 insect and 15 fish species. Out of 6 bio-regions that exist in
Europe, 5 are present in Serbia. That fact alone tells a lot about the richness
of biodiversity that exists here. At present, the survival of many plant and
animal species is at risk, as many species face extinction, and a great number
had already become extinct. Like most other countries, Serbia has its Red Books where there are lists of
extinct and critically endangered species. Some of the rare and endangered
animal species are the following:
• Apollo
butterfly
•
Saker falcon
•
Alpine salamander
• Western capercaillie
•
Ferruginous duck
•
Griffon vulture
•
Eastern imperial eagle
There is also the Black Book of
flora and fauna, which contains the list of several thousand species, sadly,
forever destroyed by man. Serbia too can be found in it, with 4 species,
endemic to Serbia, irretrievably lost from the world’s gene pool. Some of the
species that can no longer be found in our country are the black vulture, white
scavenger vulture, little bustard, bearded vulture, black grouse and many more.
The Griffon vulture is a large
scavenger bird, from the Accipitridae family, which inhabits the areas of
southern Europe, southwest Asia and north Africa. It is 93-110 cm long, and
weighs 6 to 13 kg. In appearance, it is a typical Old World vulture, with a
bare, white head and neck, yellow bill, broad wings and short tail feathers.
Its chicks are nakedat hatching. Like other vultures, it is a
scavenger, feeding mostly from carcasses of dead animals which it finds by
soaring over open areas, often moving in flocks.It often grunts and hisses,
especially when feeding. It nests on mountain cliffs,
laying one egg.
Breeding:
The Griffon vulture breeds in gorges, on steep limestone rocks. The female lays
only one egg in the period from the end of January to the beginning of April.
The parents take turns sitting on the egg for 52 to 57 days. The chick is able
to fly at three months, but it is still dependent on its parents, so it keeps close
to them and the nest
until the age of one, when it starts to roam freely until it reaches full maturity.
Habitat:
It inhabits the subtopic climate zone, the Mediterranean area, from the Maghreb
to the Himalayas. The northern borders of its habitat are
the Caucasus and Crimea, while the southern are the Sahara, the Arabian Desert,
and the Deccan Plateau in India. Its nesting territories in Serbia are the
gorges of the rivers Uvac, Milesevska, and Tresnjica, to the west and
south-west of the country. Full grown birds colonially concentrate on a wider
nesting space, while the younger ones wander in great distances. In the past,
it was often hunted and poisoned in Serbia, but its numbers are now on the rise,
owing to the improvements in conservation and feeding. In Serbia, there
are currently about 60-65 pairs of the Griffon vulture in the western
parts of the country, around Zlatar mountain, and also 35 birds in the gorge of
the river Tresnjica. The species is also under legal protection from hunting.
Is
there a way to prevent further extinction of the endangered species?
We know that there is more than
one way to do that, but the most effective and beneficial must be changing our
attitude towards the environment and our surroundings. We are a part of nature,
and without it we cannot survive. That is why we have to use it properly, and
not more than is needed. The process of reusing materials can help to a great
extent, because it reduces the exploitation of natural resources, and in that
way keeps the whole ecosystem healthy and diverse. Already endangered species
are meticulously recorded in the aforementioned Red Book, after which their
condition and numbers are regularly followed.
It is also necessary to pass laws
which would protect the habitats and establish strict natural reserves, where
the activity of man must be reduced to a minimum. Establishing national parks
represents the most comprehensive way of protection in our country. In them,
man’s harm to nature is reduced to the lowest possible level and as such, they
represent the greatest chance for the preservation of unpolluted nature and for
an undisturbed development of a large number of plant and animal species.
Rotaract
Club of Nis-Constantine the Great – RID 2483, SERBIA
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