Case of Electrocution in Switzerland: Sonic dies on a power pole in Canton of Grisons
Newsletter 24/04/2020
The female Sonic made headlines already in 2019, by being the first Northern Bald Ibis to return to the historic breeding site in Überlingen at Lake Constance. In April she started her migration from Tuscany, only this time sexually mature. Sonic spend the night from April 18th to April 19th in the municipality of Lohn in the nature park Beverin, Canton of Grisons. The following morning, the dead body of Sonic was found below an unsecured power pole. The body was secured by a park ranger who took it to the animal hospital in Bern for necropsy.
Electrocution on unsecured power poles is an underestimated threat to biodiversity that has too little public attention yet. During the LIFE+ project (2014 – 2019), 35% of the mortality cases were due to electrocution. Similar data exist for the Eagle Owl in Switzerland. In a study in the Canton of Wallis a third of the Eagle Owls found dead were cases of electrocution. This threat is also present in White Storks, Red Kites and Ospreys, which are currently reintroduced in Switzerland.
Due to climate change, temperature and droughts are increasing in many parts of Europe. Thus, the risk of bushfires caused by electrocuted birds that fall onto dried-out vegetation below a power pole increases.
Yet measures to secure power pole are rather simple and low in costs, by insulating the cables at the power poles. The efficiency has been proven in Germany, where 90% of all power poles are secured due to a legal framework. Not a single Northern Bald Ibis died due to electrocution in southern Germany ever since.
In other countries like Switzerland, Italy or Austria, only a few measures have been taken. In collaboration with the local network providers in Salzburg and Upper Austria, high-risk power poles could be secured in the feeding areas of the Northern Bald Ibises. Further thousands of dangerous power poles are still unsecured in those countries. Reason enough for Swiss association of scientific zoos zooschweiz among others to demand an extensive solution for securing power poles all through Switzerland by the end of 2025.
The death of Sonic is a tremendous loss for our reintroduction project for sure. Yet it will not affect establishing the breeding colony in Überlingen. Further eleven birds are heading for the breeding site and will arrive in Überlingen in the next days. We still cannot tell whether they will breed there for the first time this year already. Due to the current COVID-19 pandemic, breeding management for this young colony is strongly limited.
The other breeding colonies in Burghausen, in Bavaria and Kuchl, in Salzburg are already well established. Seven breeding pairs have arrived there so far and the first eggs have already been laid.
Photo: Sonic, a female Northern Bald Ibis, found dead next to this power pole. Such unsecured power poles pose a serious threat to many birds. picture left D. Trobe, right M. Egle.
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