A Griffon Vulture recently released after six weeks of rehabilitation was found dead less than a day later, fatally electrocuted on an uninsulated power pole, conservationists confirmed on Monday.

The vulture, originally transferred from Spain as part of a programme to rebuild Cyprus’ declining population, had spent six months under care at the Wildlife Rescue and Care Center in Vounos after being found in the Varos area with severe weakness and dehydration.

Fitted with a GPS transmitter during its first release in July 2024, the bird again showed signs of distress in October 2025, when its transmitter registered prolonged immobility.

The monitoring team alerted the Cyprus Wildlife Research Institute, which retrieved the bird and stabilised it through intensive veterinary care.

After six weeks of treatment and a full set of negative toxicological and pathogen tests, the vulture was deemed fit for a second release on Thursday.

Less than 24 hours after its release, on Friday, the bird was found dead.

It had covered 40km as it tried to reunite with its flock. At some point it decided to rest and instead of a tree, landed on 11,000-volt power pole which proved to be fatal.

Power poles are especially hazardous for large birds like vultures because they align with their typical flight heights and paths, making electrocution a major threat on the island.

Photo: Ertac Cuneyt, Tanfer Aktunç and Sadık Azimli

The Cyprus Wildlife Research Institute issued a broader warning about the conditions that led to the vulture’s death.

Despite the effort that had gone into saving the bird only weeks earlier and the hope attached to its release, the incident underlines how fragile the species’ survival remains on the island due to human-made hazards.

“We are deeply sorry again, young vulture. Despite all our efforts, we couldn’t protect you. But thanks to you, we feel our humanity is being tested right now. Will we continue our lives as if nothing has changed tomorrow? Or will we take the right steps to fix this unsustainable system?” the institute said.

This is not an isolated case but part of a long-running pattern of preventable deaths on dangerous EAC power poles, that BirdLife Cyprus has called a “serial killer of vultures.”

In May 2024, two Griffon vultures were electrocuted on EAC poles between Kelokedara and Salamiou, in the same spot another had died in April 2022, and yet another in 2018.

Of 70 vulture deaths recorded from 1996 to 2023, electrocution or collision was involved, while more recent tracking shows nine of 46 deaths linked specifically to electrocution.

Despite years of warnings and even €150,000 in secured funding for insulation and line-marking, conservation groups and the game service report that these mitigation measures remain heavily delayed. They have repeatedly criticised the EAC for procrastination and negligence, noting that dangerous poles identified as high-risk for vultures and eagles still have not been insulated.

The EAC signed a cooperation agreement with BirdLife Cyprus in November 2025, outlining plans for joint monitoring, preventive measures and efforts to reduce bird electrocutions and collisions.