Griffon Vulture struck by turbine blade, Greece

This rare video shows an actual collision: note that the bird isn’t afraid of the giant moving blades. So much for all the talk about “avoidance” (many ornithologists and bird societies, funded by the wind industry, pretend that birds take evasive action when approaching wind turbines).

The accident occured at Lentas, in the Asterousia mountains of southern Crete. The people filming the event (apparently paragliders) collected the wounded animal and took it to the Hellenic Wildlife Hospital (EKPAZ) where it was diagnosed with a broken wing and a limp.

We were told there have been 5 reported cases of vultures killed by wind turbines on the island of Crete recently, and we know that actual mortality is always higher than “reported cases”.

Vulture mortality hasn’t been estimated for Greece as a whole, but in Spain where more data is available, griffon vulture mortality is estimated to be 1,000 – 2,000 per year: www.iberica2000.org/Es/Articulo.asp?Id=2968