The animals are continuously monitored by the Rewilding Rhodopes foundation team and local partners
A total of 17 red deer and 96 fallow deer have been released in the Rhodopes mountain range in recent months, the Rewilding Rhodopes Foundation announced. The state game units in the village of Zenda and the city of Krumovgrad and the Union of Hunters and Fishermen in Bulgaria helped in the process of restoring the rhythms of nature in a natural way.
The animals are continuously monitored by the Rewilding Rhodopes foundation team and local partners. Animals that have been reintroduced and enriched will not be hunted for at least 5 years. By the end of February another 35 red deer will be transported and released into central habitat restoration areas.
“Our goal is to revive two of the three deer species that live in Bulgaria across the Eastern Rhodopes,” said Stefan Abramov, head of Rewilding Rhodopes. In total, more than 600 fallow deer and 50 red deer have been translocated to the Eastern Rhodope in the past 10 years, creating several growing subpopulations of these two species. A few hundred more animals are expected to be released into the Rewilding Rhodopes areas to help promote the restoration of nature in the Rhodope Mountains. This is the largest deer reintroduction program in Bulgaria.
The remains of dead fallow deer and red deer are an important food base for the endangered griffon vulture, vulture and black vulture. Local wolf populations prey on the deer, which increases the availability of wild carcasses for the region’s endangered vulture species. “In the coming years, we expect to see more evidence of vultures ‘foraging’ on deer carcasses – captured in camera-trap or satellite transmitters that track, record and study the movements of animals and birds,” said Abramov.
In relatively low-density conditions, free-ranging deer also help create open habitats that can help a wide range of other wildlife species thrive. By grazing on the bushes and trees, the deer along with other herbivores help maintain the mosaic landscape of the Eastern Rhodopes, which is very important for protecting the rich biodiversity of the area.
Last winter a total of 81 fallow deer were released in the Eastern Rhodopes. The deer population is increasing year by year due to the restoration of wild nature and native vegetation.
RES-EMP
Read the News today and get the latest news.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News and be the first to know all the news.
I have worked as a journalist for over 10 years, and my work has been featured on many different news websites. I am also an author, and my work has been published in several books. I specialize in opinion writing, and I often write about current events and controversial topics. I am a very well-rounded writer, and I have a lot of experience in different areas of journalism. I am a very hard worker, and I am always willing to put in the extra effort to get the job done.
