Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
were unfolding. Since around 2008, however, they have developed an arrangement whereby the
National Parks (NP) cover most of the costs since Hungary's territory is divided between different
NP directorates which act as authorities in legal cases such as this. Of course, money is a problem
for the Parks as well, so samples of the 'less valuable' animals (e.g., foxes and buzzards), are often
not tested at all. This makes it quite diffi cult, if not impossible, to prosecute these cases, and the
emphasis should be on the fact that a poison was illegally used rather than on the species that died
as a result. Up to now, the police have paid for the analyses in a single case, which should actually
be the norm.
Other related cases of carbofuran poisoning also surface in the media from time to time. For exam-
ple, between 2003 and 2006, a farmer's cows (and several buzzards) were poisoned, possibly by a
neighbour (http://www.szabadfold.hu/cikk?5522). Interestingly, at the time of the incident, the farmer
complained that the dead buzzards received greater media attention than his cows. More recently, in
2009, a carbofuran-related fi sh kill (40 tons) was reported at an artifi cial lake near Budapest that was pop-
ular with anglers (http://www.szabadfold.hu/gazdanet/ki_pusztitott_el_40_tonna_halat_csepelen).
5.6.4 Conclusions
Poisoning and persecution are jeopardising the success of conservation efforts, as shown by the
decline of the Imperial eagle population. Despite the fact that the use of carbofuran is now prohib-
ited within the country, the product continues to be implicated in many wildlife poisoning incidents.
Overall, the problem in Hungary lies not with the laws or regulation, but rather with the enforcement
and prosecution of cases, largely because the police often lack the expertise and resources needed
to deal with cases. This situation must be addressed so that conservationists can again go back to
documenting an increase in the numbers of healthy birds of prey such as the Imperial eagle, rather
than resigning themselves to counting and collecting their carcasses.
5.7 Leisure-based human-wildlife confl icts arising from
the introduction of game species and repercussions to vultures
across Croatia
Gordana Pavokovic
Member of the former Committee for the illegal usage of poisons in nature
5.7.1 Introduction
My fi rst deep involvement with a poisoned bird came about when a Eurasian griffon vulture, ringed
as C15 (see Figure 5.12), landed on the roof of a small house near the beach in Beli, on the Island
of Cres in Croatia, in the summer of 2001. At that time, I was working in a Vulture Recovery Centre
on Cres. After C15 lowered his head and let us capture him, he was brought to the centre. All the
volunteers who worked with this bird at the centre will remember C15 (see Figure 5.13). During
the fi rst night, there were no visible symptoms of poisoning, but in the morning, we found C15 lying
on his back. During the day, vomiting increased, and this was accompanied by neurological symp-
toms, ranging from mild head tremors, a repeatedly twisting head and body (in one direction, to the
right, in a circular motion) with wings half spread.
C15 was also observed walking backwards, had a lack of coordination, had muscle spasms, and
exhibited hyper-salivation and muscle weakness. Severe convulsions increasingly weakened the
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