Eurasian Griffon Vultures Travel Over 245,000 Km Across Eight Countries In Conservation Study

Two endangered Eurasian griffon vultures, equipped with satellite trackers by the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve, have travelled an impressive 245,632 kilometres across eight countries over 29 months. Released to mark International Vulture Awareness Day, this real-time data highlights the global conservation crisis facing vultures and underscores the urgent need for international cooperation to ensure their survival.

The first vulture embarked on a journey covering 119,499 km. It started from the reserve in northwestern Saudi Arabia and travelled through Jordan, Syria, Iraq, Turkiye, Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran. During winter 2023, it returned to southwestern Saudi Arabia before heading north again in spring 2024. It now resides in the mountains of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The second vulture has flown 126,133 km since its release. Its path took it from the reserve to Iraq, where it reached a maximum altitude of 9,029 meters—three times higher than a light aircraft—and a top speed of 128 km/h. Eventually settling in the Lesser Caucasus Mountains spanning parts of Turkiye and Iran after passing through Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Iraq, and Turkiye.

Andrew Zaloumis, CEO of Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve stated: "This tracking data represents the first comprehensive study of Eurasian griffon vulture movements in Saudi Arabia and beyond." He added that these birds have travelled distances equivalent to six Earth circumnavigations in less than two-and-a-half years.

The reserve collaborated with the National Centre for Wildlife to rehabilitate and rewild these vultures in April 2023. They were released into a 24,500 square kilometre terrestrial and marine reserve ideal for nesting and roosting. Solar-powered satellite transmitters were attached to both birds to monitor their dispersal patterns post-release.

This technology will continue providing valuable data for about three years until the Teflon tape holding the transmitters naturally decomposes. The tags are crucial for understanding migration routes and habitat use within Saudi Arabia's limited existing information on large migratory species.

Global Conservation Crisis

Vultures face a severe global conservation crisis; all species are classified as threatened on the regional IUCN Red List. These birds play a vital role in maintaining healthy ecosystems by preventing disease spread as nature's "clean-up crew." However, they are highly susceptible to poisoning—both intentional and accidental—habitat loss, illegal poaching for trade, and electrocution from power lines.

The tagged vultures provided critical information on resident and migratory populations' presence. This allowed focused monitoring efforts on specific locations within the reserve's zonation plan offering highest protection levels.

Scientific Contributions

The reserve is committed to sharing its findings with local and global scientific communities. To date it has published eight peer-reviewed papers with five more being drafted. This research is significant given Saudi Arabia's commitment to conserving migratory species under CMS agreements among 133 countries promoting animal conservation across borders.

The new data gathered by the reserve can aid research securing migratory species through species-specific action plans or regional assessments while collaborating globally with organisations like BirdLife International establishing Important Bird Areas or Protected Areas informing conservation strategies regionally.

In September 2024 four active Eurasian griffon vulture nests were discovered across three breeding colonies highlighting successful conservation efforts at Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve serving as sanctuary preserving Kingdom's natural heritage.

With inputs from SPA