GPS-Tagged Egyptian Vulture ‘Loma’ Lost In Iraq

An Egyptian Vulture tracked in the frame of Egyptian Vulture New LIFE project was lost in April 2020 in Iraq. Its name is Loma - an adult vulture tagged with GPS transmitter in December 2019 in Ethiopia. After spending few months in Afar, Loma started his spring migration on 21st March. He crossed the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb to reach Yemen and headed north through Saudi Arabia. For only 12 days Loma travelled over 3,000 km to reach its breeding grounds in the mountains of Kurdistan region in Iraq. It settled in a mountainous area west of Erbil and was regularly roosting on high-voltage powerline. Apparently, the vulture was looking for a breeding territory and a partner, but in the afternoon of 15th April he suddenly stopped moving. His GPS tracker started walking on the mountain paths and descending towards a village with a human pace. On the next day, the transmitter was brought to a house in the suburbs of Hajiawa town. It was clear that Loma came to a tragic end. 

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