Carcass feasts for vultures set to be allowed by Murcia government

Cattle farmers will be allowed to leave dead animals in certain parts of the Murcia countryside

Griffon vultures are not an especially common sight in the Region of Murcia, but over the last four years the number of mating pairs has more than doubled from 84 in 2014 to 184, and according to an article published this weekend in regional newspaper La Verdad, the government is set to introduce a change in agricultural regulations which could favour further growth in their population.

The change under consideration is related to the practice of leaving the carcasses of dead cattle in the open air on farming land, a custom which was made illegal in this country in 2002 as a result of the effects of “mad cow disease” (bovine spongiform encephalitis) in the UK and elsewhere in western Europe. However, in 2009 the European Commission made it legal again to leave dead animals in the fields, and now the regional government of Murcia is reported to be on the point of following suit, providing a boost to the populations of scavenger species such as vultures.

In Murcia griffon vultures inhabit the countryside in the municipalities of Caravaca de la Cruz, Moratalla and Lorca (in Mojantes, Peña María, Valdeinfierno and Sierra del Tejo), and another beneficiary is expected to be the bearded vulture, which disappeared from the Region in the mid-20^th century but has now been re-introduced in the neighbouring provinces of Jaén and Granada and frequently flies into the north-west of Murcia.

Should the proposal to allow carcasses to be left in the open air, it will be with certain restrictions. Firstly only dead sheep and goats may be abandoned in this way, and more importantly, it will be permitted only in areas where the vultures are known to be present. In addition, the corpses will have to be left in clearings (so that birds can land and take off without any problem), well away from water, roads and pylons, and on the farmer’s land or in other authorized locations.

In addition, the carcasses would have to be left out in the morning, and all remains (such as bones) would have to be collected at least every two years. Any carcass which is not consumed by scavengers would have to be removed and properly disposed of within two weeks.

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