A sixth vulture has been found dead and another seriously injured under Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) poles in the Korfi area, the Game and Fauna Service said. The service added that it had warned the EAC about the poles in early 2025, before the first bird died.
The two new cases were recorded on 30 September under medium-voltage poles on the EAC network, the service said. It has now recorded seven cases in the area: six vultures found dead and one seriously injured.
The poles had been identified as very high-risk points for birds in early 2025, long before the first death, the service said. The danger was known and had been flagged in good time, it added.
According to the service, insulating material the EAC fitted to the poles has not been enough to eliminate the risk of electrocution. It had recommended fitting fully insulated XLPE-type cable or putting the network underground, measures it said would remove the risk entirely. It wrote to the EAC on the matter on 17 October 2025 and 20 March 2026.
The vulture is a rare and strictly protected species, classed as threatened under national law, the service said.
It called for timely action, using suitable technical solutions, at points on the electricity network identified as dangerous to birds. It said particular attention should be paid to Natura 2000 sites, forests, bird migration routes and areas where threatened species live. Its standing position is that new power lines in such areas should go underground, and that all necessary measures should be taken on existing networks.
The service said power lines pose a serious threat to wildlife, mainly through electrocution and bird collisions, which have been recorded repeatedly in Cyprus. They can also cause fires, with serious consequences for wildlife and plants, especially as the climate changes. It repeated its call for immediate corrective measures and new practices to reduce the risks to wildlife and Cyprus’s natural environment.
