The event was part of the LIFE Egyptian vulture (www.lifegyptianvulture.it), a project that aims at fostering the conservation of the Egyptian vulture in Italy and in the Canary Islands. Since this small vulture, which in Italy has a very critical conservation status, is one of the most vulnerable birds of prey subject to poison use, the implementation of measures is extremely important for its survival.
The training, organized by Federparchi-Europarc Italia, aimed at providing the staff of the protected areas with the opportunity to learn more about this issue and the measures that could be taken to prevent it and mitigate its impact on wildlife.
The main topics, faced by various experts, concerned the LIFE Egyptian vulture project, the actual knowledge on the fauna poisoning in Italy, the current legislation, the impact that the poison determines on susceptible species, the criticalities in the fight against the phenomenon and the prevention measures that could be adopted.
Regarding the important role played by the birds of prey management and the use of anti-poison dogs, reference was made several times to some positive experiences, thanks to the LIFE PLUTO project and the LIFE ANTIDOTO project from the Gran Sasso and Monti della Laga National Park and from the Carabinieri Command Unit for Forest, Environmental and Agri-food Protection.
Special attention was dedicated to the activities of the Anti-poison Dog Units managed by the CUFA, which are operational thanks to various LIFE projects and which represent an irreplaceable tool in the fight against the poison use.
In the afternoon session, three handlers from two Anti-poison Dog Units illustrated the techniques for training dogs and carrying out inspections to search for poisoned bites and carcasses.