releases. The remaining seven pairs in 
captivity bred, raising a total of 15 
young. 
Of the 30 young birds released, three 
died within a few days and a fourth 
died in April. Some of the released 
birds were sexually mature and six 
pairs were formed. On 5th May, there 
were two nests on rock ledges, each 
with two young, and four nests in nest- 
boxes each with at least one young. By 
22nd May, however, all the nestboxes 
had been abandoned, and one young 
had been lost from a ledge nest. In 
total, three young were fleidged, and 
the feral population at the end of the 
1989 breeding season was 31. 
Following the demise of the wild popu- 
lation, DHKD now recommend that 
the release of captive bred stock be 
abandoned, and the feral population 
outside the cages be no longer sup- 
ported. Successful migration and sur- 
vival of the wild population depended 
on I he young learning from their par- 
ents. With the absence of any wild 
adults, the feral population can never 
migrate and become truly wild. It is 
therefore considered better to main- 
tain the numbers and the genetic di- 
versity of the existing captive stock in 
co-operation with international zoos. 
(Information from Dogal Hayati 
Koruma Dernegi) 
Morocco 
Bald Ibis We have recently heard from 
Udo Hirsch about the Moroccan popu- 
lation of Bald Ibis, which is also seri- 
ously threatened. Only two areas are 
apparently used for breeding and 
wintering, and the total population is 
now less than 180 birds. The reasons 
for this decline are unspecified apart 
from drastic changes in the feeding 
habitat of the birds. There seem little 
prospect for effective legal protection 
and so the Moroccan population too 
may soon be extinct. We have been 
promised further information during 
the year. 
Israel 
The Society for the Protection of Na- 
ture in Israel (SPNI) is expressing con- 
cern over the building of a massive 
broadcasting station by the voice of 
America, in the Negev Desert. This 
concern centres on two main features: 
over 800 ha of open desert will be cov- 
ered by the transmission station; and 
the effect of the total of 8,000,000 Watts 
radiation from the plant on the mil- 
lions of migratory birds which pass 
through the area is unknown. For fur- 
ther details, please write to Dr Ron 
Frumkin, Israel Ornithological Centre, 
155 Herzl St.,Tel Aviv 68101, Israel. 
North Cyprus 
Conservation awareness campaign 
North Cyprus has been isolated from 
regional and international conserva- 
tion activities since the political unrest 
in 1974, which led to the occupation of 
the region by Turkish troops. There- 
fore, a growing need to come up with 
conservation measures, specifically for 
birds, has built up. ICBP has launched 
a twelve-month campaign from Octo- 
ber 1989 to promote bird conservation. 
The old English hunting law, which is 
still in existence, has a very severe im- 
pact on both migratory birds and birds 
of prey because it allows a spring 
shooting season. In practice, there are 
effectively two spring seasons: Janu- 
ary/February for early migrants and 
waterbirds; and in April/May. As a 
result, millions of migratory birds are 
killed each year, and Griffon Vulture 
Gyps fulvus has been almost extermi- 
nated. 
The conservation campaign has been 
designed to improve the situation for 
these birds and is divided into four 
parts: conservation of migratory birds, 
which includes an education campaign 
using the DHKD-ICBP booklet for 
primary schools, a slide show, presen- 
tations in the village, mobile exhibi- 
tions and field work to assess the meth- 
ods and extent of the killing; conserva- 
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