“The last of the Egyptian vultures”
By giving hope to the survival of the Egyptian vulture, we give hope to our own future.
The poster of the 11th Zagori Mountain Running is dedicated to the smallest vulture in Europe, the Egyptian vulture, which is now in the brink of extinction in Greece. In this manner, the Organization reflects its respect for the mountain and love for the environment, aspiring for a harmonious coexistence between man and nature.
The “Pharaoh’s Vulture” or “Cuckoo’s horse”, as it is known in Epirus and Albania, is considered as a herald of spring. Also, is the only vulture in Europe that migrates to Africa, traveling more than 5,000 km every year to return back to the Greek countryside in the spring. Although just a few decades ago it was the most common species of vulture in the mountains of Epirus, Thrace and the region of Meteora, only five breeding pairs remain today in Greece.
This year, the Zagori Mountain Running joins forces with the Hellenic Ornithological Society / BirdLife Greece in an effort to inform and raise awareness among the athletes, visitors and locals about the conservation of the Egyptian vulture and the need for a sustainable environment.
Loyal, peculiar, distinct, smart, punk, hero, herald of the Spring, nature’s cleaner, the Egyptian vulture, is our vulture, one-of-a-kind. Its survival is in our hands.
*The documentary “The last of the Egyptian vultures” of the HOS/BirdLife Greece, directed by Giannis Floulis, participated in the competition section of the 11th DocFest festival and won the first award.
