Maximus the stranded Griffon Vulture being nursed, to be adopted in Sicily

A stranded Griffon Vulture rescued from Malta Freeport now being nursed in Palermo,
to eventually be released at Nebrodi Park

Maximus, the Griffon Vulture
Maximus, the Griffon Vulture

According to a statement by BirdLife Malta, the Griffon Vulture they rescued from the Malta Freeport last Friday is now safe in Sicily.

Nicknamed ‘Maximus’, this Griffon Vulture was rescued after being stranded on a Freeport crane. It is by far the largest bird to have come to BirdLife Malta for care, the NGO said.

From the colour of its feathers, head and eyes, BirdLife Malta determines that Maximus could be anything from 1 to 2 years old, and is therefore a juvenile bird by Griffon Vulture standards.

Maximus was reportedly severely underweight and his condition required immediate treatment.

After four days in BirdLife Malta’s care, Maximus was transferred yesterday to a wildlife centre in Sicily, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, to gain health and independence before being released at the Nebrodi Park, a site where a re-introduction programme for the species has been in place since 1998. The bird’s final destination is the Parco Faunistico Venatorio Parco D'Orleans in Palermo, where the bird is currently undergoing further treatment to nourish it back to health.

In the park, Maximus will be fitted with a uniquely numbered ring which can be read from a distance, allowing its identification and monitoring, following which it will be transferred to an enclosure within the Nebrodi Park close to where the resident population is.

It is thought the vulture hitched a ride on a cargo ship on its way to Malta. The most likely suspect is a cargo ship that made a trip from Ecuador to Malta passing through the Strait of Gibraltar. The ship entered Freeport on Friday early morning to offload containers, at which point it is thought that the bird must have been disturbed and relocated itself on top of a crane, being too weak to fly any further distance. Maximus could therefore be of Spanish origin.

“Despite looking impossible, I am glad we managed to convince all concerned that taking the vulture to custody was the best and only solution at this circumstance. I never handled a Griffon Vulture before or climbed a crane, however we had no time to wait and it had to be done. I am grateful to the Administrative Law Enforcement (ALE) staff and the Freeport personnel who assisted me at the moment. Equipped with nothing more than a bed sheet, I covered the bird as it was asleep and we then strapped it securely to ensure the bird would not harm itself or us, before taking it down to ground level,”
BirdLife Malta’s conservation manager Nicholas Barbara said.

“The government authorities’ trust in BirdLife Malta giving care to this bird is commended. When we received news that the bird was to be given to our care, we immediately contacted our partners in Sicily, Greece and Hungary to get the best advice on how to bring it back to health. A few pounds of meat fed regularly to the bird sustained it until yesterday’s morning transfer to Sicily. We are hopeful Maximus is now in safe hands and look forward to seeing it being released at the Parco dei Nebrodi,” BirdLife Malta’s conservation co-ordinator Nick Piludu said.

In its statement, BirdLife Malta thanked ALE, Freeport staff and the civil protection department for assisting in the challenging rescue.

It also thanked the Wild Birds’ Regulation Unit (WBRU), the Government Veterinary Division and the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) for trusting this unique case to the organisation, as well as for authorising and assisting in the logistics enabling the transfer of the bird yesterday morning.