A ship which arrived at Birzebbuga Freeport from Istanbul last Friday brought with it an unusual passenger – a juvenile Griffon Vulture. 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.

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 Government has said that upon assessing the condition of the bird, which was seen perched on one of the cranes at the Freeport, a decision was taken to rescue the bird, which would have otherwise been unable to survive.

Officers from the Administrative Law Enforcement Unit (ALE) successfully retrieved the bird from its location. Assistance was provided by Freeport Staff and the Civil Protection Department.

Over the weekend, officials of the Wild Birds Regulation Unit 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.

The Wild Birds Regulation Unit thanked Birdlife Malta, which was authorised to provide care for this bird since Friday, and which arranged a veterinary examination of the bird's condition and coordinated logistics for the bird's eventual rehabilitation in Sicily.

Birdlife Malta volunteers are due to transfer the bird to the Italian authorities in Sicily tomorrow. The authorities also thanked ornithologist Dr Natalino Fenech for the advice he provided over the weekend concerning the bird's welfare.

Photographs by BirdLife

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