The only black vulture in Bulgaria killed by poachers

The only black vulture in Bulgaria, named Ultron, died from its wounds after it was shot by poachers.

The vulture Ultron was shot on the territory of a state hunting farm in Kardzhali, South Bulgaria, and despite the accurate data on the place and time from a GPS transmitter of the bird, the perpetrator has not been found yet. The bird was shot in March, but wildlife conservationists did not disclose any information because of the ongoing investigation.

The prosecutor's office in Haskovo initiated pre-trial proceedings for a crime. If found guilty, the killer may face 5 years of imprisonment and a fine of BGN 20,000.

The young Ultron died soon after it was released into the wild nature. Its release was marked with a special ceremony for the great achievement of the nature welfare organisations that are trying to restore the species of the black vulture in Bulgaria.

Ultron arrived in Bulgaria when it was tiny, three months old. It took a long time to be adapted to wildlife in a special nest in the Balkan mountains near Kotel, before spreading its wings for the first time.

Ivelin Ivanov, manager of "Bright Future for the Black Vulture" project explained that it took 2 months to the adaptation to nature. The vulture started eating successfully and socialized with other vultures. The time came to follow its instincts for migration in September and the bird went south.

Ultron spent the winter in the Greek part of the eastern Rhodope mountains and chose to return to Bulgaria. Unfortunately, while flying over Kardzhali, a poacher’s shot stopped its flight. Ultron was fatally wounded. The team of the rescue centre for wild animals desperately tried to save the vulture’s life. The best veterinary specialists have been called in for the operation.

Dr. Rusko Petrov, Manager of the "Green Balkans" Wildlife Rescue Centre: After the surgery, the bird lived for 10 days in great suffering, because after the autopsy we found that the bullet smashed the liver in many places and went through several body parts.

Since its release in wildlife, Ultron's movement has been tracked with a GPS transmitter, which alerted that something had interrupted the bird's flight. The GPS also showed the location and exact time of the crime.

The transmitter indicates that the bird had stayed on the territory of the State Hunting Farm "Zhenda" for 4-5 days. In such a controlled area, with security guards, the perpetrator of this crime could be identified relatively easily, Ivelin Ivanov said.

Kardzhali District Prosecutor's Office and the Regional Environmental Inspectorate were immediately notified of the shooting of the protected bird. Two months later, the perpetrator has not yet been identified.

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This rare and majestic species, for whose return to Bulgaria “Green Balkans” organisation had worked for 30 years, is extremely valuable for Bulgaria and Europe.

In the summer of 2019, Planckendael Zoo in Belgium, which is part of the European Black Vulture Breeding Program (EEP), donated a young bird named Ultron, which was included in the project "Bright Future for the Black Vulture LIFE14 NAT/BG/000649 " in the hope that it will contribute to the return of the species to Bulgaria.