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The guards of the special nature reserve “Uvac” will try to find Vasilija, a griffon vulture that has not been able to return from the cold cave to the colony of Uvac for more than a month and a half.
The cave plateau is still covered in snow, the temperature is well below freezing for days, and Vasilija is hungry and probably injured.
This is indicated by his movement, which is monitored by a transmitter that shows that he has been spinning in a small circle for a long time, meaning that the injury does not allow him to fly.
In 2019, Vasilja hatched on the Uvac cliffs near the Ušačka cave. In October of the same year she landed in a house near Prijepolje, after which the guards of the “Uvac” Reserve transferred her to a reception center where she spent the winter.
It was released in June last year and launched a streamer. However, since December 24 last year, it has remained in a narrow area of three kilometers on the snow-covered Peshterska plateau.
Griffon vultures, explains ornithologist Dr. Sasa Marinkovic of the Foundation for the Protection of Birds and associate of the Institute for Biological Research “Sinisa Stankovic”, rarely spend the night outside their colonies, and Vasilija has not flown to Uvac for long time. At the same time, the Peshter – Uvac distance is quite short and should not be a problem for healthy griffon vultures.
– Every day we follow Vasilija’s movement, which is reduced to a flight of 200-300 meters, so we assume that his wing was injured. We fear that you may starve because Peshter is covered in snow and it is difficult for birds to find food, and griffon vultures can go 20 days without eating. We asked the “Uvac” guards to find her and transfer her to the reception center where she was already – explains Dr. Marinković.
Vasilija is located in the Kijevci area, the coldest part of Peshtera. The transmitter will easily guide the trackers to where the bird is, but the problem is the snow. The guards will have to trample the snow up to their knees on the cave path for a kilometer and a half.
– Today we await news from Peshtera. The advantage of catching her might be that she was already at the reception center and that she knew the guards. If they can no longer attract her with food, it would be good to at least feed her, advises Dr. Sasa Marinkovic.
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