Five vultures poisoned in Central Balkan National Park
18 August 2026
Five vultures have been poisoned in the Central Balkan National Park. The report was filed by the Green Balkans Association and was registered today with the Central Balkan National Park Directorate.
Park rangers immediately took action to search the area. The inspection found three black vultures (Aegypius monachus) and one griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus), which died as a result of poisoning today - August 18, 2026. A second griffon vulture was also found in critical condition, for which emergency veterinary care is being provided.
All five birds were found in the area of the Kalofer park section - near the Panitsite winter route to Botev Peak, which is high in the mountains and difficult to access. They were found next to the carcass of a cow, which was probably poisoned.
A joint inspection is currently underway on site, and employees of the Central Balkan National Police Department, Karlovo Police Station, Plovdiv Regional State Border Guard Service and experts from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) are on site, including an ornithologist, a dog handler and a trained poison-finding dog.
The Environmental and Wildlife Crimes Sector at the National Police General Directorate (NPG) of the Ministry of Interior has been notified of the case. The area is being secured urgently to determine whether poisons have been placed at other locations. During the rounds, it should be checked whether there are any more dead animals.
Actions are being taken in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), and an autopsy is to be performed on the birds. For such a violation, the CPC provides for imprisonment of up to 5 years, as well as significant fines of up to 11,000 euros.
This type of encroachment on strictly protected species poses a high public risk to both wild specimens and human health. Such actions are aggravating, as they are committed in a strictly protected area – the “national park” category according to the Protected Areas Act.
Programs for the restoration of populations of these species in Bulgaria have been developing for 30 years, therefore what was established on the ground is assessed by experts as extremely great damage to nature. Long-term efforts to restore vultures in the country by non-governmental organizations have improved the conservation status of the populations.
Poisoning is a significant threat to all vultures in the country, as well as to a part of the birds of prey. The reasons for poisoning vultures are different. Most often, vultures are victims of the criminal understanding of owners of farm animals to protect them from terrestrial predators (mainly wolves, bears, jackals and wandering stray dogs) by means of poisoned baits. Scavenger birds die when directly consuming poisoned baits or as a result of secondary poisoning when feeding on victims of the poisoned bait used.
The institutions are making efforts to build up expert capacity, including through international training, and in this case all possible actions will be taken to identify the offenders.
Bulgarian legislation is in full compliance with the provisions of EU legislation, which prohibits the use of poisons and poisoned baits to combat predators. The same prohibitions are introduced by the Birds Directive, the Habitats Directive, the Bern Convention, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, and in national legislation - by the Biodiversity Act.
Park rangers immediately took action to search the area. The inspection found three black vultures (Aegypius monachus) and one griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus), which died as a result of poisoning today - August 18, 2026. A second griffon vulture was also found in critical condition, for which emergency veterinary care is being provided.
All five birds were found in the area of the Kalofer park section - near the Panitsite winter route to Botev Peak, which is high in the mountains and difficult to access. They were found next to the carcass of a cow, which was probably poisoned.
A joint inspection is currently underway on site, and employees of the Central Balkan National Police Department, Karlovo Police Station, Plovdiv Regional State Border Guard Service and experts from the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) are on site, including an ornithologist, a dog handler and a trained poison-finding dog.
The Environmental and Wildlife Crimes Sector at the National Police General Directorate (NPG) of the Ministry of Interior has been notified of the case. The area is being secured urgently to determine whether poisons have been placed at other locations. During the rounds, it should be checked whether there are any more dead animals.
Actions are being taken in accordance with the Criminal Procedure Code (CPC), and an autopsy is to be performed on the birds. For such a violation, the CPC provides for imprisonment of up to 5 years, as well as significant fines of up to 11,000 euros.
This type of encroachment on strictly protected species poses a high public risk to both wild specimens and human health. Such actions are aggravating, as they are committed in a strictly protected area – the “national park” category according to the Protected Areas Act.
Programs for the restoration of populations of these species in Bulgaria have been developing for 30 years, therefore what was established on the ground is assessed by experts as extremely great damage to nature. Long-term efforts to restore vultures in the country by non-governmental organizations have improved the conservation status of the populations.
Poisoning is a significant threat to all vultures in the country, as well as to a part of the birds of prey. The reasons for poisoning vultures are different. Most often, vultures are victims of the criminal understanding of owners of farm animals to protect them from terrestrial predators (mainly wolves, bears, jackals and wandering stray dogs) by means of poisoned baits. Scavenger birds die when directly consuming poisoned baits or as a result of secondary poisoning when feeding on victims of the poisoned bait used.
The institutions are making efforts to build up expert capacity, including through international training, and in this case all possible actions will be taken to identify the offenders.
Bulgarian legislation is in full compliance with the provisions of EU legislation, which prohibits the use of poisons and poisoned baits to combat predators. The same prohibitions are introduced by the Birds Directive, the Habitats Directive, the Bern Convention, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, and in national legislation - by the Biodiversity Act.