The Griffon Vulture rescued by BirdLife Malta from the Malta Freeport last Friday is now safe in Sicily.

Nicknamed ‘Maximus’, the vulture is by far the largest bird to have been taken into BirdLife's care.

The bird is believed to have arrived last Friday after it hitched a ride on a cargo ship while crossing the Strait of Gibraltar.

After four days in BirdLife's care, Maximus was yesterday transferred to a wildlife centre in Sicily to gain health and independence before being released at the Nebrodi Park, a site where a re-introduction programme for the species has been in place since 1998.

The bird was yesterday morning accompanied by BirdLife staff to Sicily, following which it was picked up by staff of the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale della Sicilia, with its final destination being the Parco Faunistico Venatorio Parco D'Orleans in Palermo, where the bird is currently undergoing further treatment to nourish it back to health.

BirdLife Malta’s Conservation Manager Nicholas Barbara said: “I am grateful to the ALE staff and the Freeport personnel who assisted me at the moment. Equipped with nothing more than a bed sheet, I covered the bird as it was asleep and we then strapped it securely to ensure the bird would not harm itself or us, before taking it down to ground level”.