Case Studies

The Eaglet had Landed

After a big storm in spring of 2007 a group of concerned residents of the Umdoni Village in Pennington contacted authorities because the chick of their nearby Crowned Eagle's  nest had prematurely fallen to the ground. Steve Smit of (Animal Rescues Unlimited) got the chick to Raptor Rescue, where Ben Hoffman and vet Oliver Tatham checked him out and stabilized him. After a couple of good meals he was ringed and ready to be returned back to his nest. His arboreal home was, however, a good 15/18m high, so the help of climber Daniel Stewart of the Pietermaritzburg SPCA was solicited to get the snowy bundle home.

On arriving at the site, Ben could see that the nest platform was actually severely damaged. All residents teamed together and an hour later  a replacement nest had been constructed, using a pallet as a base. Many hands, and heads, together saved the day and weeks later the youngster successfully fledged from this makeshift home. Together we can make a difference! 

>>>>>>>>>>>>>> CROWNED EAGLE CHICK RESCUE >>>>>>>>>>>>>

Got the Pox!

A vian Pox is a viral disease that affects both domestic and wild bird populations alike. There are many different forms of avian pox that tend to manifest in a species specific manner. This particular virus is transmitted by mosquitoes and gnats as well as by contact with other infected birds.  

• Pox is characterized by lesions which are confined to skin tissue i.e. all external body surfaces such as the mouth, eye, nose, tongue, oesophagus and crop.  Depending on where the lesions are found, the pox can be referred to as either skin or diptheritic pox.  Skin pox consists of blisters and wart-like scabs, which are found on the face or any unfeathered portion of the body like the feet. (Areas where mosquitoes can bite the bird.)  Diptheritic pox occurs on moist skin surfaces such as in the mouth and on the tongue.
• Lesions consist of white opaque, elevated nodules.  Lesions can partially obstruct the trachea, which hinders breathing.  A particularly prolific growth of these wart-like lesions around the eyes can also affect sight as can be seen in this particular case of the African Goshawk pictured. Impaired eyesight means that she could not hunt properly and was found weak and emaciated.
• As this is a viral disease there is no treatment for it, the virus needs to run its course. However, supportive treatment is imperative to control secondary infection. This bird shows very advanced stages of untreated avian pox and  the secondary infection was severe. This bird had to be euthenased.
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• Target Practice

A

n African Hawk-eagle male was found near the White Umfolozi River with a broken wing.  He was from a known pair, breeding in the south end of the Hluhluwe/Umfolozi Game Reserve.  He was suspected of being shot, the bullet breaking his wing.  His is a success story because of the fantastic teamwork of all those involved.

KZN Wildlife officials successfully identified the bird and informed Raptor Rescue that the bird would arrive at their nearest airport in Pietermaritzburg that evening.  S.A. Airlink kindly agreed to transport the bird by air, halving the time it would take to cover the 450km distance should he have been transported by car.  Raptor Rescue picked him up that night, stabilized him and the following morning he was in surgery with Dr Oliver Tatham.

His wing was successfully pinned and, after two weeks of post-operative care at the Raptor Rescue, he was returned back to his old hunting grounds, where he has reunited with his female.  Prior to release he was ringed by the Natal University making him easy to identify. They have subsequently been seen by KZN Wildlife officials, utilizing their old nest site.

Meeting the Mountain Monarch

Raptor Rescue was fortunate enough to successfully treat an endangered Bearded Vulture in 2007.

The juvenile bird had been caught by the foot in a gin trap, in the Swartberg area of the Drakensberg mountain range. This was the first Bearded Vulture to be seen in captivity in 15 years, so he caused quite a stir amongst the local scientists. The rear halux of the left foot was broken and a piece of necrotic bone had to be surgically removed. After stabilizing the infected foot the bird was then tagged and released (carrying a satelitte transmitter) back into his mountainous home. KZN Wildlife were able to successfully monitor his movements for over a month post release, thereby showing that his rehabilitation was successful.

Designs for flight

Flight makes enormous demands on a birds’ body. Once airborne a bird like an eagle may save energy by gliding, but it requires maximum power for its initial take off. Birds aided in this by having a really high metabolic rate – the speed at which they can burn up food and turn it into energy. They also have the highest body temperatures of all warm-blooded animals – up to 43.5 degrees Celsius compared with 38 degrees Celsius in humans. In small birds, like the pygmy falcon, the body pumps a heart that beats nearly 600 times a minute. They have an extremely light-weight skeleton and lungs that are very efficient at extracting oxygen from the air, even at high altitudes.