Mid January this year, 35 fallow deer were released in two priority rewilding sites in the Rhodope Mountains in Bulgaria. The deer now released in Tintyava region in the Krumovgrad Municipality and Chernoochene village near the town of Kardzhali joined 88 other fallow deer and their offspring that were released during the last three years.
75, a record high number of griffon vulture pairs was registered in the Eastern Rhodopes within the regular monitoring of the species. The Rhodope Mountains rewilding area is the only breeding area of the indigenous griffon vulture population in Bulgaria.
“The Eastern Rhodopes are one of the most beautiful places in Europe! You will see!” Frank Zanderink told me, when I was preparing for my internship. Frank Zanderink is the “students’ broker” for Rewilding Europe. I agreed with him silently in my mind when for the first time in my life I saw the beautiful Eastern Rhodopes.
The Rhodope Mountains have today officially become a part of the Rewilding Europe initiative, after a period of intensive preparations for it within the region.