MES: Saving North Macedonia's Poisoned Vultures, Village by Village

Founded in 1972, the Macedonian Ecological Society (MES) is North Macedonia's oldest and leading conservation NGO, working to protect nature through science, education, and public engagement, and serving as BirdLife International's national partner. Under the Balkan Anti-Poisoning Project, MES teams visited 15 villages to run educational sessions with local residents about the dangers of illegal poison use against predators, which also kills scavenging vultures. In one emergency response, MES and partner authorities rescued 18 Griffon Vultures found in an area contaminated by poisoned bait, before they could die. MES's community surveys also found that many rural Macedonians already hold traditional stories and respect for vultures, knowledge the organization builds on to reduce poisoning incidents going forward.