Greece: Poisoning Dogs

The University Forest of Pertouli was found to be full of poison baits. Two dogs and a fox were found dead . Two weeks ago, local residents complained that they lost their dogs from poisoning. The Greek Ornithological Society in collaboration with the Forestry of Pertouli performed an autopsy in the region, involving a specially trained dog, that is a member of the Group of the organization and operates under the European Programme LIFE + <<The return of the vulture." The autopsy identified numerous poison baits that fall into three categories: hydrogen cyanide in paraffin, sausage pieces and raw meat impregnated with a pesticide. The Forestry of Pertouli as competent service for the preliminary actions reported immediately the incident to the prosecution, which conducts the preliminary investigation to identify and punish the perpetrators. The use of poisoned bait is an extremely harmful practice for the environment, and constitutes a serious threat to public health, as it can endanger the lives of residents and visitors to the area. The risk becomes more serious especially for young children playing outdoors. Perpetrators often use pesticides whose use is banned in Greece, for example, endosulfan, which belongs to the same category as the known DDT and was detected last year in a bait in the area of Kalambaka, and in Thrace . Regarding wildlife and birds of prey, the dispersion of poisoned baits in nature is one of the main threats to their survival in Greece. A typical example is the collapse of the population of Egyptian vulture (known in Thessaly region as "cheese-maker" or "chelonofais"), until recently a common type of vulture in the Greek area, which is now on the brink of extinction, as less than 15 pairs survive. The area of Kalambaka, which until recently hosted the largest vulture population in Greece, is fortunate to still have a small number of the remaining bird pairs of the country. This is why the Ornithological Society organized in the region, from 31 March to 3 April, seminars and events to local stakeholders on the issue of poisoned baits, their consequences and ways of dealing with this dangerous phenomenon.



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