Vulture satellite tracking device returned to Morocco following failed migration attempt

A satellite transmitter fitted to a Rüppell’s Griffon Vulture has been returned to Morocco following the bird’s unsuccessful attempt to cross the Strait of Gibraltar.

The vulture, an African species increasingly seen migrating into Europe alongside the more common Eurasian Griffon Vulture, had been fitted with a colour ring and transmitter in Morocco. It was tracked crossing the Strait but lost height and ultimately drowned, washing up in the area of Camp Bay.

The Environmental Protection and Research Unit (EPRU) collected the bird and passed the transmitter to Vincent Robba of the GONHS/Department of Environment rehabilitation team.

The transmitter had been fitted as part of a Moroccan conservation project focused on vultures, including the reintroduction of Griffon Vultures on Jbel Moussa, led by Rachid El Khamlichi. Mr El Khamlichi is known to both the General Secretary of GONHS, Dr Keith Bensusan, and the Minister for the Environment, Dr John Cortes.

Dr Bensusan contacted Mr El Khamlichi, and Dr Cortes mobilised Ministry officials, who engaged with the Gibraltar Morocco Business Association (GMBA). The transmitter was then taken back to Tangier and handed over by Steven Marin of GMBA to Asrar Mounir, Head of the Asilah Forestry Development Centre, which oversees the tracking programme.

Despite the loss of the vulture, the incident highlights the ongoing collaboration between NGOs and government bodies on both sides of the Strait. Plans are under way for closer co-operation and exchange visits to further conservation efforts and understanding of migration in the region.