The LIFE with Vultures project team invites young and old to celebrate International Vulture Awareness Day at Molos, Limassol, on Saturday, 3 September 2022.

The event programme includes:

17:30 – 19:30 Educational and interactive activities for children (arts and crafts, floor game etc) and information point on the Griffon Vulture at Molos, Limassol

19:30 – 20:10 Storytelling performance by Vaggelis Gettos and Marina Katsari at Molos’ open-air amphitheatre

Children will receive vulture-themed gifts for their participation.

The International Vulture Awareness Day is dedicated to the world’s 23 vulture species and the international efforts to conserve and protect them. As nature’s clean-up crew, vultures are an integral part of the ecosystem, removing contaminants from the soil and water and regulating the occurrence and spread of diseases.

But 75% of the world’s vultures are threatened with extinction, due to the illegal placement of poison baits in the wild. Halting the dramatic decline of their populations and restoring many species to their “old glory” is a long-term challenge, which requires coordinated action at local and international level. In Cyprus, the “LIFE with Vultures” project team is working tirelessly to save the Griffon Vulture, the only vulture species on the island, from going extinct in Cyprus.

The event is taking place as part of the LIFE with Vulture project. LIFE with Vultures is a targeted conservation project for the protection of the Griffon Vulture in Cyprus. In this four-year endeavor (2019-2023), BirdLife Cyprus, the Game and Fauna Service, Terra Cypria – The Cyprus Conservation Foundation and the Vulture Conservation Foundation have joined forces to tackle the main threats facing the Griffon Vulture and prevent Cyprus’ most threatened bird of prey from going extinct.