Recently the VCF website discussed the issue of air strikes between aircraft and large vultures near some Spanish airports. Recently, a Lufthansa plane landing in Mallorca crashed against a black vulture (see photo).
Mallorca is home to a thriving population of black vultures – almost 40 pairs, up from only 1 or 2 pairs in the 80s when the species almost disappeared. This year a record number of young fledged. These excellent results attest to the efforts of the Black Vulture Conservation Foundation, and of the Unidad de Flora y Fauna of the regional government of the Balearic Islands, which have invested a considerable amount of resources in the conservation of this species
However, the conservation of the black vulture in Mallorca is still mired in controversy, with the regional government and conservation organizations engaged in a debate regarding access of some areas of the Tramuntana – the breeding stronghold – to tourists and walkers.
