Disoriented in Malasaña: what is a vulture doing walking through the center of Madrid?

At nine in the morning this Wednesday, two neighbors called 112 to give the notice.

A vulture roamed freely in the heart of the capital.

Specifically on Calle del Pez in the Madrid neighborhood of Malasaña.

A patrol of the Municipal Police that was in the area has quickly approached the scene.

To which two other agents from the Environment unit have subsequently joined, with preparation and training for the rescue of this type of animal.

The district agents have had to cut off the street in order to rescue him.

"It is an animal that impresses because of how big it is," says a spokesman for the Municipal Police.

It is a griffon vulture that weighs six kilos.

The rescue has lasted 54 seconds.

A police officer with orange falconry gloves has distracted him so that he would notice him and keep still.

While he moved his arm up and down, his partner has gone stealthily behind him with a blanket to catch the animal.

And he has caught him covering his eyes.

Together they picked up the animal from the ground and put it in a cardboard box, which they then sealed with duct tape.

His next destination has been Brinzal, a nocturnal raptor rehabilitation center, where he is undergoing veterinary follow-up.

Neighbor Juan Carlos López Sáez, 35, was on his way to work when he came across the bird: "He was walking super calm, like walking."

A minute later, a truck has appeared, whose driver has seen the animal and has slammed on the brakes.

The vulture has thrown itself aside and has continued on its way down the Madrid street.

"The situation has been surreal," says the witness.

But how did he get to the center of the capital?

“The animal was dehydrated and disoriented.

We believe that he was in the outskirts of Madrid, in some landfill trying to eat something, ”explains a spokesman for the Municipal Police.

The first hypothesis suggests that tonight's storm surprised him, he got soaked and was unable to take flight again.

Agents from the #Centro Norte Unit carry out a traffic cut so that the #UMA #safely rescues a #vulture that was exhausted and disoriented.

He is transferred to @buhos_Brinzal for his recovery.#BravoCompañeros 👏👏👏👏👏👏#PMM pic.twitter.com/1aFwVqXt7i

– Municipal Police of Madrid (@policiademadrid) August 3, 2022

From the Municipal Police they assure that it is not the first rescue of vultures that they carry out in the city.

Although in such a central area "it is the first time," says its spokesman.

Normally, they tend to appear in outlying neighborhoods that border open fields, such as Sanchinarro, Las Tablas or Villaverde.

Nor is it the first time a disoriented bird has been found among the Madrid buildings in the region.

Last Friday, the Civil Guard rescued an Iberian imperial eagle chick that was dehydrated in the surroundings of the Royal Monastery of San Lorenzo de El Escorial.

Jesús Martín, spokesman for Ecologists in Action, explains that the fact that he describes as unprecedented and exceptional is probably due to “high temperatures and dehydration”.

To which he adds that "the migratory habitats of birds are changing quite a bit in recent years due to the effect of climate change."

Those who work in the recovery centers that take in the animals once they have been rescued agree.

Like Sebastián Muñoz, coordinator of the activities of the Group for the Rehabilitation of Native Fauna and its Habitat (Grefa): "It is not usual for a vulture to appear in the heart of Malasaña."

Between August and September the vulture chicks leave the nest, begin their flight dispersal and can appear in the most unexpected places.

“They are a bit weak and they are quite inexperienced when it comes to looking for a life.

Now it may start to appear more due to heat stroke, ”he adds.

Once in the recovery center, a veterinary examination is done to see what is wrong.

"In the case of vultures, it is very common for them to be affected because they have ingested lead pellets used by hunters, which are very toxic," says Muñoz.

After the treatment, and when the animal is recovered, they release it again.

In the case of the griffon vulture, an autochthonous species of the Sierra Madrileña that "has enormous flight capacity, it has to be in an open area, because it has a large wingspan and needs space to take flight again," he concludes.

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