A northern bald ibis (Waldrapp) was fatally struck by a flying golf ball on a golf course in Hallein-Rif. According to the Salzburger Nachrichten on Wednesday, the strictly protected bird had been probing for insects on July 11 when the accident occurred as it took flight. The player involved reportedly felt terrible about the incident, said course manager Sabrina Freitag.
Austrian biologist Johannes Fritz, head and founder of the “Waldrappteam Conservation and Research” group, which has been working for more than 20 years to reintroduce the species that went extinct in the Middle Ages, called it an “unfortunate incident” for which no one was to blame. Bald ibises require open areas with low vegetation because their main food sources are soil-dwelling creatures, which they search for using their beaks. In southern breeding areas, such incidents are commonplace. Golf courses there often offer a green haven in an otherwise barren and dry landscape.
Golf course to close areas when ibises are present
“In Andalusia, part of the local population spends almost all their time on a large golf course. They only retreat to rock crevices to breed,” explained Fritz. Trauma and fatalities caused by golf balls are among the most frequently documented causes of death. He praised the response from the Hallein-Rif course management, which voluntarily offered to close areas of the course where bald ibises are foraging.
“This is a truly exemplary way to handle the situation — a collaboration between culture, sport, and nature.”
This measure is a matter of course, said the golf course manager to Salzburger Nachrichten.
“If we have protected birds here, our goal should be to ensure they survive.” In the past two to three days, no ibises had been spotted on the course, “but before that, we often had 30 or 40 birds at a time.”
Waldrapp came from Grünau in the Almtal
The bird killed in Rif originated from Grünau im Almtal in Upper Austria, where a group of ibises lives year-round at the Konrad Lorenz Research Station. In winter, they are fed to help them survive snow, frozen ground, and cold temperatures. However, bald ibises are migratory by nature, and the main focus of the conservation project is to retrain them in migratory behavior and safe routes to wintering grounds.
To that end, a colony was established on Georgenberg in Kuchl (Hallein District). The conglomerate rock with its natural crevices is ideal for nesting. Before their extinction, the birds were found on Mönchsberg in Salzburg, which is also made of conglomerate rock. However, that area has become too busy to be suitable today.
Another colony was set up in Burghausen, Bavaria. Since the birds often fly to other areas while foraging, mixed breeding pairs are common. While juvenile birds usually follow the migration route south to Tuscany in Italy, the adult birds return to their native colony in Grünau.
“Titanus” stored in freezer after death
The Waldrapp killed in Rif was named “Titanus” and had already nested twice with a partner from the Kuchl colony on Georgenberg. “The timing of death was relatively favorable for the chicks’ development — they are already fledged and feeding themselves,” explained Fritz. The dead bird was placed in a freezer after being transported. An autopsy was not necessary, as the cause of death was obvious. The bird will be transferred to the Konrad Lorenz Research Station in Almtal, where it may be taxidermied.
