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Press Releases
Wiltshire expert attempts to save rare vultures at British military base
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Inside Out West (Friday 22 February, 7.30pm, Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One West) investigates as conservationists are fearful that Cyprus could be about to lose its last colony of griffon vultures.
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The spectacular birds have always been a highly visible presence in the skies over the island but recently the population has fallen to critically low levels.
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The last hope for the vultures lies with the British military, who have mounted a rescue mission to try to save them from extinction.
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The last remaining birds live on the British base at Episkopi, not far from the holiday resort of Limassol. They are attracted to the high cliffs overlooking the Mediterranean, where they can breed without disturbance.
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The job of trying to save the last colony falls to Dr Ian Davidson-Watts, a conservationist from Warminster in Wiltshire, who has a four-year posting as an environmentalist on the British base.
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He estimates there are no more than 15 of them left in the wild.
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Dr Davidson-Watts says: "It's a tiny population and what we're really worried about is their ability to survive at that low level. In terms of population ecology, they're in intensive care at the moment."
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The main threat comes from a Cypriot method of using poisons to kill their old hunting dogs. The carcasses are dumped in the countryside, where vultures feed on the poisoned meat with fatal consequences.
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The rapid pace of tourism development on the island has also been a problem, with much of the vultures' natural habitat being sacrificed for the construction of new homes and businesses.
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Naturalist Mike Dilger has just returned from Cyprus where he has been filming a report for Inside Out West.
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He says: "It's difficult to do justice to the griffon vulture. They are quite simply magnificent and nothing like the scraggy comical creatures in The Jungle Book. It's like watching flying barn doors. They're a tremendous sight."
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But the Cypriots have a dubious record on the protection of endangered wildlife. For a long time, the hunting community on the island has had an attitude along the lines of "if it flies, it dies!"
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Only last year, 52 rare red-footed falcons were gunned down in a single day on the Akrotiri peninsular.
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Millions of birds are shot every year, and many more are trapped in nets, destined for dinner plates. There's a local dish called Ambelopoulia – pickled song birds.
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Part of Ian Davidson-Watts's role is to work with partners outside the British bases to try to educate local people about the threats facing the griffon vultures.
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Already, he has made contact with Cypriot environmentalists who are attempting to run a captive breeding programme to help the vultures. He will advise them on the best way forward to protect and monitor the remaining population.
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They are experimenting with "vulture restaurants" to give the birds a safe source of food.
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Ian is also trying to instil a sense of pride in the local people about the remarkable range of birdlife they have on their doorstep.
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Cypriot schoolchildren are able to visit a conservation centre that has been set up by the MoD. It overlooks the Akrotiri salt lake, where during the winter months greater flamingos create a spectacular smudge of pink across the horizon.
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Inside Out West will be broadcast at 7.30pm on Friday 22 February 2008 on Βι¶ΉΤΌΕΔ One in the West of England.
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The programme is also available on digital satellite channel 986 or via bbc.co.uk/insideout after being transmitted on TV.
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This is the first programme in a new series of the regional documentary.
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JR
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