Following efforts to ensure they stay, survive and thrive in the local landscape, a group of 14 cinereous vultures have just been released into Bulgaria’s Eastern Rhodope Mountains. This will help to strengthen the circle of life and represents another step towards realising the local rewilding vision.
As part of their Master’s degree in Forest and Nature conservation at Wageningen University & Research, students Lucy Dötig and Fleur Bokma did a six months internship this year with Rewilding Europe, investigating habitat suitability for fallow deer, red deer and European bison in the Rhodope Mountains Rewilding Landscape. We checked in with them recently to see how they have been getting on.
Three female bison have just arrived in the Rhodope Mountains rewilding landscape in Bulgaria. They will soon join the area’s free-roaming bison herd, boosting its health and viability and positively impacting local wild nature.
Over the last few months, more than 80 fallow deer have been released into the Rhodope Mountains rewilding landscape in Bulgaria. Adding to the populations of deer already released by the local rewilding team, the animals will enhance wild nature and help to generate economic benefits.
65 fallow deer were released on the southern shore of the Kardzhali reservoir in November and December, and are now being monitored by the Rewilding Rhodopes team. The release is part of ongoing efforts in the area to restore deer numbers to a viable level, providing a sustainable natural prey and carrion source while reinstating key links in the food web.
The European rewilding movement has come a long way since Rewilding Europe was founded in 2011. The second in our series of impact stories takes a look at how rewilding has strengthened the Circle of Life in Europe over the last decade.
Over the last five years the LIFE vultures initiative has helped to stabilise and grow griffon and cinereous vulture populations in the Rhodope Mountains of Bulgaria and Greece. Future rewilding efforts will build on the initiative’s achievements.
A new calf has just been born to the free-roaming bison herd in the Rhodope Mountains rewilding area in Bulgaria. This shows the animals are settling in well and advances the local rewilding process.
Griffon vultures continue to do well in the Rhodope Mountains rewilding area in Bulgaria, with 72 chicks born this year. This is good news for wild nature and people and a well-earned reward for the local rewilding team.
A new partnership between Rewilding Europe and German shoemaker Wildling Shoes will see rewilding efforts scaled up in Europe, generating wide-ranging benefits for nature and people. The collaboration will kick off with support for rewilding actions in the Rhodope Mountains rewilding area.