Pronađen mrtav stepski soko

Please scroll down for the English version.

Kolege iz Mađarskog društva za zaštitu ptica i prirode (MME/BirdLife Hungary) 27. novembra javili su nam da se u ataru naselja Zlatica, opština Zrenjanin, verovatno nalazi uginula jedinka stepskog sokola (Falco cherrug). Zahvaljujući satelitskom odošiljaču koji su na ovu pticu postavile kolege iz Mađarske dobili smo informacije da je ptica prestala da se kreće, da je njena telesna temperatura pala ispod normalne vrednosti i da postoji sumnja da je ptica mrtva, najverovatnije od petka 22.11.2024. Pretragom terena, zaposleni u Društvu za zaštitu i proučavanje ptica Srbije uspeli su da lociraju i pronađu leš stepskog sokola.

Postoji osnovana sumnja da je soko otrovan nakon što je pojeo neki zatrovan plen. Prva mogućnost je da su oko silosa trovani domaći golubovi (Columba livia domestica), dok je druga mogućnost da su na oranicama trovani glodari čije su populacija u prethodne dve godine nanele ozbiljne štete poljoprivrednicima. Takođe, sličan slučaj trovanja stepskog sokola zabeležen je i u Rumuniji čime je broj telemetrijom obeleženih sokolova u Mađarskoj prepolovljen.

Stepski soko je u Srbiji strogo zaštićena i kritično ugrožena vrsta. Globalni status ove vrste je izrazito nepovoljan – ugrožena vrsta (EN). Izvorno, ova vrsta je tipična za otvorena stepska i slatinska staništa, ali u drugoj polovini 20. veka zbog velikog uznemiravanja određeni broj parova se preselio na rubove šuma na većim nadmorskim visinama. Panonska populacija stepskog sokola ključna je za opstanak ove vrste u Evropi, posebno populacije u Mađarskoj, Slovačkoj, Austriji, Rumuniji i Srbiji.

Međunarodna zajednica, posebno Evropska unija, do sada je uložila veliku količinu novčanih sredstava za očuvanje stepskog sokola u Evropi. Svako neprirodno stradanje ovih ptica veliki je udar na njihove populacije i zahteva zajedničko delovanje institucija kako bi se pronašli i kaznili krivci.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Dead saker falcon found

On November 27, colleagues from the Hungarian Ornithological and Nature Conservation Socitey (MME/BirdLife Hungary) informed us that a dead Saker Falcon (Falco cherrug) was likely found in the area around the village of Zlatica, Zrenjanin Municipality.

Thanks to the satellite transmitter attached to the bird by Hungarian colleagues, we received information that the bird had stopped moving, its body temperature had dropped below normal, and it was suspected to be dead, likely since Friday, November 22, 2024. A search team from the Bird Protection and Study Society of Serbia successfully located and found the carcass of the Saker Falcon.

There is a strong suspicion that the falcon was poisoned after consuming a contaminated prey. One possibility is that domestic pigeons (Columba livia domestica) around a silo were poisoned, while another is that rodents, which have caused significant damage to agriculture over the past two years, were poisoned in the fields. Also, there was a similar case of a poisoned sakker falcon in Romania, which caused the number of sakker falcons marked by telemetry in Hungary to fall below half compared to the beginning.

The Saker Falcon is a strictly protected and critically endangered species in Serbia. Its global status is considered highly unfavorable – it is listed as endangered (EN). Primarilly, this species is typical for open steppe and salt marsh habitats, but in the second half of the 20th century, due to great disturbance, a certain number of pairs moved to higher altitudes on the edges of forests. The Pannonian population of the Saker Falcon is crucial for the survival of this species in Europe, particularly the populations in Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, Romania, and Serbia.

The international community, especially the European Union, has invested significant financial resources in the conservation of the Saker Falcon in Europe. Any unnatural mortality of these birds is a major blow to their populations and requires joint action by institutions to identify and prosecute those responsible.