MME in collaboration with competent National Parks has launched its action to protect Imperial Eagle nests on certain SPAs with the help of volunteers. The action is organized within the framework of HELICON - Conservation of Imperial Eagles by managing human-eagle conflicts in Hungary LIFE+ programme.
Four different White-tailed Eagles died in the Duna-Dráva National Park in the past few weeks, probably due to poisoning – as the NP Directorate reported to the MTI.
A young Imperial Eagle was shot dead with a shot-gun near the town, Túrkeve. The incident happened in February, but the cause of death got only revealed now. The perpetrator may face up to three years of prison. The Hortobágyi National Park pressed charges against the perpetrator for damaging nature- Ákos Monoki, associate of the HNP, said.
Around one dozen of protected birds of prey succumbed to poisoning in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg County. Unknown persons put out a chicken head, dipped in poison, in a seven-hectare swampy patch of forest, near Kisvárda.
Crime against birds showed a dramatic increase in the past few years. MME was awarded financial support by the EU’s LIFE conservation fund hand in hand with eight other partner organizations. The goal of the project is to stop the persecution of birds, primarily the Imperial Eagles. We held our first press conference of the five-year program in the headquarters of the National Investigation Office.
This year we participated again at FeHoVa, the international arms, angling and hunting exhibition with our own stand. Our colleagues gave several lectures on species conservation programmes, the bird of the year and other bird related issues.
A long lasting debate participated by MME accepting the invitation of the Ministry of Rural Development has been settled. The multilateral agreement signed by hunting and game management organizations too acknowledges that species like the Common Buzzard, the Marsh Harrier, the Raven, the Turtle Dove, the Fieldfare, the Quail and the Beech Marten keep their protected status, while the Least Weasel becomes one.
After summing up the data of the 9th National Eagle Count results show that the wintering numbers of Eagles have not changed much since last year. The Count was organized by MME and was done in collaboration with other NGOs and Directorates of National Parks. 241 participants covered about 11,500 square kilometers, which included all the important wintering areas of all the Eagles species.
MME and the Bükki National Park were alerted regarding a strange poisoning case in mid-January. A local hunter found the body of the 6-year old, ringed Slovakian Imperial Eagle and a little later its mate too while tracking in Heves County. Veterinarian and toxicological examinations showed that both birds died by direct poisoning.
The Raptor Conservation Section of MME/BirdLife, Hungary and the Monitoring Centre in collaboration with the National Parks and other NGOs have organized the nationwide count of the wintering species of Eagles and other Birds of Prey for the 9th time in Hungary.
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