site.btaBlack Vulture Shot Dead in NE Bulgaria, Investigation Underway

A bird of the rare cinereous (black) vulture has been found shot dead near the northeastern village of Zelena Morava, the Environment Ministry said in a press release Thursday. The case is under investigation. 

The black vulture is a protected species, included in Annex 3 to the Biodiversity Act with the category "extinct" in the Red Book of the Republic of Bulgaria (2015).

This is the fifth case of a black vulture being short since the restoration of the population in Bulgaria in 2018. The Ministry of Interior and the District Prosecution Office in Targovishte have been informed of the crime.

The bird's death was confirmed by a team of the Fund for Wild Flora and Fauna (FWFF) conservation organization after a signal from the MM satellite transmitter ring with which the bird, named Dobrudzha, had been tagged. The dead bird was found near a road, where a dog that had been hit by a car was also found. Initially, it was assumed that the bird was hit by a car while feeding on the dog's carcass. Due to the apparent lack of a crime, the Ministry of Interior was not notified, and the remains were sent for further examination and analysis to the Green Balkans Wildlife Rescue Centre in Stara Zagora (South Central Bulgaria). However, an X-ray revealed 15 pellets in the bird's body, which means that it was shot dead. Intentional killing with a firearm is a crime under the Penal Code, punishable by imprisonment of up to five years and a fine of up to BGN 20,000, the Environment Ministry added.

The deceased specimen was released as part of a project to restore the species in the Balkan Range and was one of the first to nest in Bulgaria since the start of attempts to restore the species. The project is funded by the European Union under the LIFE program and is implemented by the Green Balkans NGO. The FWFF is a partner for the Kotlenska Mountain region.

"The loss of this bird is particularly significant because it was part of one of three successful breeding pairs that raised young in the Kotlenska Mountain in 2025 -the most successful nesting season for black vultures in the area since the start of the species restoration program in the country," added the Ministry.

The Ministry of Environment and Water and the Regional Inspectorate of Environment and Water in Shumen are ready to discuss the problem of poaching with the responsible institutions and organizations.

"We would like to believe that this is a momentary lapse of reason, but we hope even more that this case will be a signal for the definitive end of poaching in the area, especially against endangered species that have been the subject of long-standing restoration efforts," FWFF wrote on its Facebook page about the incident.