Power lines killing Spain’s raptors at alarming rate

Thousands of protected species of bird such as the Imperial eagles, storks, bearded vultures and Bonelli’s eagles meet their end on power lines throughout Spain each year.

Spain’s Environment and Urban Planning Department’s prosecutor, Antonio Vercher, is urging regional authorities to do more to prevent birds colliding with power lines.

According to a report from the previous Environment Ministry, 33,000 birds of prey die each year because of electricity wires. Other studies (Friends of the Imperial Eagle Foundation) indicate an even more alarming total: 192,000 and 337,000.

Mr Vercher has sent a missive to every autonomous region within the county, criticising their passive stance thus far and describing the numbers of birds killed as “intolerable”. The regional authorities are being accused of not bringing disciplinary action against the owners of the electricity cables.

In order to justify the lack of action, some authorities have said that they consider these deaths to be accidents so, in their opinion, disciplinary action has not been an option.

However sources have alleged that that the electricity companies have agreed to fix the defective cables, meaning disciplinary action can be taken.