Cristina Hodgson
POLICE have successfully rescued a huge Griffon vulture which was spotted in several areas of Malaga over the past week.
After several unsuccessful attempts to capture the wild bird by Agents of the Nature Protection Group (GRUPONA) of Malaga’s Policia Local, it has finally been recovered.
The huge Griffon vulture was sighted several times in Malaga city, specifically along Avenida Juan XIII.
There it had shocked motorists by strutting up and down the median strip of the urban road.
On each prior attempt by GUPONA to rescue the wild bird, it took flight and escaped.
This past Monday, the bird, noticeably weakened and tired, was finally captured and transferred to the Centre for the Recovery of Threatened Species (CREA).
During the transfer of the Griffon Vulture to the Animal Health Centre, the police were stopped and informed of a large snake which had alarmed pedestrians near James Bowles road, also in Malaga city.
The agents verified that it was a young ladder snake, approximately 50 centimetres in length.
The geographic range of the ladder snake includes Portugal, Spain and southern France, a species which prefers altitudes from sea level to 700 metres and can reach a maximum length of around 160 cm.
The reptile was successfully captured and taken, together with the Griffon vulture, to the Centre for the Recovery of Threatened Species (CREA).
Both animals have been assisted by a vet and will be later reintroduced, once fully recovered, into their respective natural environments.
