Large creature caught on trail camera scavenging in Poland woods. See rare sight
A string of rare bird sightings in Poland stunned officials and wildlife enthusiasts. One large bird was captured by a trail camera scavenging in the forest. Soon after, a similar bird appeared at a waste disposal facility.
While checking trail cameras from the Owl Mountains, wildlife officials found a photo of a large Eurasian griffon vulture standing next to a dead animal carcass, the Regional Directorate of State Forests in Wrocław said in a June 13 Facebook post. The photo, taken June 8, was a first-of-its-kind record for the area.
Eurasian griffon vultures are large scavengers, weighing up to 24 pounds and with a maximum wingspan of over 9 feet, according to the Vulture Conservation Foundation. The species' population declined in the 1900s due to 'wildlife poisoning, hunting and decreasing of food supplies' but has since recovered due to widespread conservation efforts.
'This impressive bird, a symbol of wild nature and a valuable part of the ecosystem, has so far been associated mainly with southern parts of Europe,' forestry officials said, according to a translation from the Polish news outlet TVP World. Officials described the vulture's appearance in the Owl Mountains as a 'sensation.'
Soon after, the president of the Municipal Waste Management Plant in Konin, Henryk Drzewieck, reported another sighting of a Eurasian griffon vulture, Interia, a Polish news outlet, reported.
Employees at the waste disposal facility started seeing the vulture around June 11 and told Drzewieck about it when he visited on June 13, Drzewieck said in a Facebook post. Photos show the large vulture perched on the roof of a building, its neck tucked up against its body.
As of June 16, the vulture was still at the waste disposal plant, the Polish news outlet TVN24 reported.
Because Eurasian griffon vultures are rarely seen in Poland, the bird attracted crowds of curious watchers, TVN24 reported. Drzewieck said the facility is allowing supervised groups of people onto the premises to photograph and briefly observe the vulture. He told the news outlet that about 200 people have already visited.
The Konin waste facility is about 170 miles northeast from the Owl Mountains, which is near the Poland-Czech border.
It's unclear if the sightings are of one Eurasian griffon vulture or two, Interia reported. Either way, the species is likely just visiting.
Google Translate was used to translate the Facebook posts from the Regional Directorate of State Forests in Wrocław and Henryk Drzewieck and news articles from Interia and TVN24.
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