news

Eight rehabilitated kestrels return to the skies in Nanyuan

2024-08-17

한어Русский языкEnglishFrançaisIndonesianSanskrit日本語DeutschPortuguêsΕλληνικάespañolItalianoSuomalainenLatina

Recently, the Beijing Raptor Rescue Center (BRRC) released eight national second-level protected wild animals, red kestrels, in Nanyuan Forest Wetland Park. More than 10 raptor rescuers were invited to witness the red kestrels' return to the wild. Beijing Youth Daily reporters learned that most of these eight red kestrels had fallen from their nests and were rescued by enthusiastic citizens and given a new life.

August 15th was the second National Ecological Day. On the morning of that day, eight red kestrels were escorted by BRRC rehabilitators to Nanyuan Forest Wetland Park. The rehabilitators first introduced the precautions for releasing raptors, and then instructed the raptor rescuers participating in the event to tilt the transport box 45 degrees. As the box slowly opened, a red kestrel poked its head out and saw the outside world. The kestrel first carefully observed the surrounding situation, then spread its wings and jumped out... After a while, the eight red kestrels were successfully released one after another and disappeared into the woods.

"My child and I feel a sense of accomplishment watching these little lives return to the wild!" Ms. Zhang Yanyan, who participated in the release event, told the Beijing Youth Daily that in mid-May this year, she and her 10-year-old daughter found an injured red horned owl in the Garden Expo Park and immediately contacted BRRC for rescue. "That was the first time my child and I had close contact with a bird of prey. The reason I brought my child to participate in the release event today is to plant the seeds of love for nature in her heart, and I hope she will become a responsible citizen of the earth in the future."

Beijing Youth Daily reporter learned that most of the eight red kestrels released this time had experienced nesting. On July 1 this year, Ms. Su from Changping District found that a young red kestrels had hit the glass of an office building, causing it to fall to the ground and unable to fly. After careful searching, Ms. Su found other young birds' nests on nearby buildings, but after observation, she did not find the parent birds (i.e. the young birds' parents). "Originally, it would have been the best choice for the parent birds to continue to take care of the young birds, but because the nest was too high, the young birds could not fly back, and there was no way to send them up." Ms. Su was worried that the young birds would encounter other dangers on the roadside, so she contacted BRRC for professional rescue.