May 04 - Griffon Vulture Rescue
On Sunday afternoon a Griffon Vulture was rescued from the sea below Europa Advance Road, by officers of the Marine Units of the Royal Gibraltar Police and Gibraltar Defence Police, after it had been mobbed by Yellow-legged Gulls.
A GONHS member who was in the area witnessed the event and contacted the RGP Marine Section, which promptly rendered assistance by dispatching one of their vessels to the area.
The bird managed to get onto some rocks below the cliff face but was in danger of being swept away. The size of the RGP vessel made it impossible to access the vulture and the RGP requested the assistance of the GDP, which attended with a smaller vessel.
The bird was successfully picked up from the rocks and conveyed safely back to the Police Marine Base. The vulture was collected by the GONHS Raptor Rescue team and taken to its Rehabilitation Centre, where it is now making a full recovery. GONHS says it expects to be able to release it back into the wild soon.
A spokesperson said: “GONHS would like to thank the officers of both the RGP and GDP Marine section crews who so willingly helped save this Griffon Vulture from drowning. As a society that dedicates itself to the preservation and protection of nature, it is most gratifying to see that our Law Enforcement Agencies are willing to assist us in the rescue and care of these magnificent birds.”
Pic: Vincent Robba holding the Griffon together with two of the RGP officers who assisted on Sunday.
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