Twenty five cows will be handed over for free to farmers in eastern Poland to graze in the open, creating an ideal habitat for the Lesser Spotted Eagle.

This is a part of a project aimed at protecting this large Eastern European bird of prey, launched in Poland thanks to funds from the European Union and the National Nature Protection Fund.

The farmers are expected to breed the cattle and hand over the young to other farmers in the region. The program focuses on improving the habitat of the Lesser Spotted Eagle in Bialowieza and Knyszynska Forest.

The project, which costs 19 million zlotys or about 4.6 million euro, provides also for erecting 300 wooden posts enabling the eagles to look out for prey in the open fields, mowing overgrown deserted fields and creating small water reservoirs. The Lesser Spotted Eagle prefers damp terrain, says Roman Kalski from the Polish Bird Protection Society. Work on building threshold on rivers to retain water in the area has already begun.

About 1,900 pairs of the Lesser Spotted Eagle nest in Poland.  (kk)