THE Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) team successfully rescued a juvenile Crowned Eagle for the second time following its escape from the facility in late December of last year.
Classified as a ‘ToPS’ (threatened or protected species), the Crowned Eagle was recovered from the Westville area in response to two distressed calls from community members. Clint Halkett-Siddall, the operations director at CROW, revealed that upon the eagle’s arrival, it was found to be underweight and displaying a preference for its right leg. A precautionary examination at the Montclair Animal Hospital revealed muscle damage on the leg, causing a limp.
Read more: CROW saves afflicted birds
“Our dedicated team of nurses has been providing continuous care and closely monitoring its progress. Initial treatments, including fluids, antibiotics and anti-inflammatory medications, have been administered. However, due to the observed muscle damage, an immediate release is not feasible,” explained Siddall.
The Crowned Eagle had an identification ring on its leg, a standard practice carried out by Shane McPherson’s Crowned Eagle Research on chicks aged between 75 to 80 days. McPherson’s research has played a vital role in understanding the habits and habitats of these rare birds.
According to his research, the rescued eagle hatched in October 2022 at a protected location. These eagles typically inhabit forests or dense woodlands, and the rare species sustains itself with a diet consisting of dassies, hadedas and vervet monkeys.
The eagle will be released back into the wild after it reaches optimal health level.
An interesting fact: The eThekwini area boasts an above-average density of Crowned Eagles, ranking among the highest globally.
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