It is a well-known fact that episodes of animal poisoning are actually much more numerous than those reported and recorded. The death of this beautiful specimen of red kite, and other similar episodes, reveal a disquieting situation which probably characterises the whole Italian territory, and which is usually completely unknown.
Red kite RK8 was killed by a poison bait made of meat mixed with a high amount of carbofuran; when the bird was found, it was still holding the bait in its beak.
It was flying north to nest in its place of origin, in Czech Republic, after having wintered in the southern part of the Grosseto province, in upper Albegna Valley. A red kite reintroduction programme was carried out there in the framework of the LIFE Save the Flyers Project, between 2007 and 2014, under the coordination of Unione dei Comuni Amiata Grossetana. The project achieved good results, restoring the species’ population: about thirty pairs now nest in the area, joined by several semi-wintering individuals from central-northern Europe.
These elegant-looking birds of prey are now commonly observed in the southern Grosseto province; they are mostly found around CERM (Centro Rapaci Minacciati - Centre for threatened birds of prey) in Rocchette di Fazio, where a feeding station supports both local and migratory/wintering birds.
In the last few years, the structure’s cameras have been spotting some red kites with geolocation loggers coming from the Czech Republic (RK8 among them).
On 23 March 2017, Prof. Ivan Literak of the University of Brno (Czech Rep.) informed CERN expert Guido Ceccolini that RK8’s GPS data logger was not sending data, but signalled instead the bird’s death. After locating the precise place where the animal was supposed to be lying, CERM experts alerted the Carabinieri Forestry Corps, that went on site with their local staff and with the PLUTO Anti-poison Dog Unit managed by the Carabinieri Forestry Corps command deployed at Foreste Casentinesi National Park.
The carcass was found on the border between a pasture and a sparse woodland, within a game reserve. The anti-poison unit’s dog found no further suspect material.
Poisoning was presumed during the inspection and the necropsy, carried out at the Veterinary Preventive Medicine Institute of Latium and Tuscany (Siena offices), and confirmed by laboratory analysis.
The data logger shows that the red kite died on 18 March, on the day of its arrival in the area, in perfect health and ready to go nesting in its place of origin; its only fault was to stop at an apparently quiet area rich in food.
It is worth mentioning that, only 3 km from the place where RK8 was found (in the same game reserve), the carcass of Lea - a female of red kite released in the framework of the reintroduction programme carried out in the upper Albegna Valley - was found in 2015 (on that occasion, the cause of death could not be ascertained because of the advanced decay).
Regrettably, it is thus reasonable to presume that illegal use of poison in the area is a common practice, which will be therefore carefully examined by the Carabinieri Forestry Corps.