hf lead poisoning effects on the reintroduced bearded vulture. frey_lead... · lead poisoning...

Hans Frey, Alex Llopis and Alexandra Scope

Lead poisoning effects on the reintroduced

Bearded Vulture population in the Alps

International symposium on lead poisoning,28 September, Annecy

International symposium on lead poisoning,

28 September, Annecy

� 1.The reintroduced Bearded Vulture population in the Alps

� 2. Lead poisoning cases in situ - Alps

� 3. Lead poisoning cases ex situ (European Endangered Species Program (EEP) for the Bearded Vulture)

� 4. Bearded Vulture -symptoms of lead poisoning



� 1.The reintroduced Bearded Vulture population in the Alps

c M. Knollseisen



� Start 1978 Morges (Switzerland) � Goals:

Establishment of a breeding network (zoos, breeding centres)� In situ project (Alps)� Development of a standard example for a reintroduction

project� Main financial support:

Frankfurt Zoological Society WWF European zoosEGSRelease sites (National Parcs …..)

� Project coordination : VCF

Begin of Bearded Vulture Reintroduction Project in the Alpes

1978 EGS Richard Faust Center headquarter of the breeding program

1996Centro de Cría Guadalentín

headquarter of the Andalusia Reintroduction Project

19971st fledgling in the wild Haute Savoie, ‘Phenix’

20061st release Andalusia

SYNOPSIS of EEP and RELATED PROJECTS

20101st release Corridor Project

20151st fledgling in the wild in Andalusia

2005Centre de Fauna Vallcalent

responsible for the Pyrenean genetic reserve

19861st release NP Hohe Tauern EEP started

1992Bearded Vulture Conservation Foundation created



� 253 released nestlings (1986-2015)

� Alps: 29 breeding pairs147 Fledglings

� EEP captive stock: 159 birds

� 38 zoos and 5 breeding centres

� 461 successfully raisedjuveniles

Recent situation 2015

7

110 Laying pairs

29 Laying pairs

2 Laying pairs

5 Laying pairs

Andalusia R. P.

Alpine Reintroduction Project

Distribution 2015

1 Laying pair

Corridor R. Project

Autochthonous populations: Pyrenees, Corsica and Crete

8Current distribution

Historic distribution

�� The final aim is to establish an European Meta-Population

�� Re-establish the historical gene flow between North Africa and Asia through the autochthonous and reintroduced European Bearded Vulture populations.

final OBJECTIVE



� An estimation of the Alpine population size is 250 birds� Any food supply is stopped after emancipation. � All released birds are depending exclusively on the natural food

resources in the Alps (mainly wild and domestic ruminants, marmots).

� Therefore the reintroduced Alpine population is exposed to all the possible threats connected with the consummation of “natural” carcasses.



•2. Lead poisoning cases in situ - Alps



� 7 cases of acute lead intoxication are documented

� 3 lethal:

Nicola, Doraja II, Sina

� 4 survived after treatment:

Ikarus, Glocknerlady, Lousa, Doraja I



•70 – 80% of food are bones

•Production of pellets onlysporadically•Lead particles not eleminated

•Hunting wastes (mesenterywith fat tissue) frequentlycontaminated with leadammunition fragments,

•Bearded vultures prefer fattissue



� female, released 1991 (NP HoheTauern), � first breeding bird in Carinthia,� found dying near Mallnitz (Eastern Tyrol),23rd of

January 2012. � post mortem analysis:

two times injured with small shot in the past weight only 4,7kg Lead levels: liver 25,882 mg/kg

kidney 32,16mg/kg

She was a famous and very well known bird monitored all the time in her territory near the “Großglockner”.

Nicola

Doraja

� Female, released 2005 NP HoheTauern

� Collected exhausted 23rd of December 2005, Hallein

� observed sitting on roofs a few weeks ago

� blood : 3,057ppm lead

� X-ray negativ



� Lead particel found on x-ray of a pellet

� Succesful treated� Loss of many large feathers� release postponed 9th of

August 2006� Remains of her body (ring,

few bones) found 12th of May 2013 near Irschen

� Lead analysis of the bones: 38,9mg/kg

Doraja



� male, fledged in Martell valley, Italy, in 2008

� reduced activity

� recaptured 10th of November 2009

� 4,75ppm of lead found in his blood

� released 20th of June 09 in Martell valley

� reduced activity, approaching human buildings

� recaptured and died during treatment in December 2009

Ikarus



� Female, 2010 Vercors� Rescued 1st of October 2012,

Vorarlberg, Austria, in very bad condition

� acute lead intoxication and trauma of the head

� Survived but could not be released any more

� difficulties to keep balance, cannot fly

Lousa



� female, released in NP HoheTauern in 2012

� reduced flight ability activity, loss of height

� end of October 2012 recaptured in Celje, Slovenia

� very weak condition

� lead value in blood: 656,4 µg/dl

� loss of many large feathers

� released 5th of June 2013

Glocklerlady



Second release of Glocknerlady



Actual data of Glocknerlady



� released 1997, Engadin NP

� found dead on the 27th of May 2008, Samnaun,

� p.m. analysis: 5,4kg, old gun shot injuries, 6 fragments,

� lead analysis: feather 0,31mg/kg, blood 3,9 µg/dl, bones up to100,04 mg/kg

Sina



� All seven proved cases in the Eastern part of the Alps.

“Ikarus” and “Sina” in Switzerland, all the other cases in Austria.

Possible reasons: different hunting practices - feeding sites to shoot foxes, hunting wastes are left in the area, only trophy taken in most remote areas

Lead poisoning is an important threat for bearded vultures, at least in Austria and could be the explanation for the slow development of a breeding nucleus, losses of partners of territorial pairs during winter repeated documented

Resümee



�3.Lead poisoning cases ex situ (European Endangered Species Programm, EEP)



� 1978 – 2015

110 bearded vultures died, post mortem analysis in 104 cases

� 3 males and 6 females died because of lead intoxication

� after Mycosis (Aspergillosis) the most important threat forbearded vultures in the EEP

� 4 males and 1 female suffered from acute lead intoxication but survived after treatment (values between 299ug/l and 875ug/l)

� 2 males treated immediately successfully after offering parts of a shot roe deer (positive x-ray control)



� In situ: behaviour (less activity, approach of human buildings, roosting on roofs, reduced altitude, reduced flight ability, greenfaeces)

� Ex situ: large variability of symptoms:

reduced behaviour, reduced food intake, loss of weight, anaemia, dyspnoe, roosting on the ground, enteritis, green faeces, dirtyfeathers, athrophy of muscles (pectoralis) , reduced visual andaccustic ability, myocardic dysfunction.

4. Bearded vultures – symptoms of leadintoxications



� In 13 cases hunting lead ammunition

small shot – rabbit, musk rat, padridge,

jacketed hollow point bullet (chemisé point de balle creuse, Teilmantelgeschoß) – roe deer, red deer

� 1 case lead contaminated mud

bath (artificial material)

Reasons for lead intoxications in captivity



Thank you for your attention!

hf lead poisoning effects on the reintroduced bearded vulture. frey_lead... · lead poisoning...

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