after 10 months of treatment, the injured kestrel gradually recovered and reached the standard for release. the broken-toed kestrel returned to the blue sky in ossen.
2024-09-27
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the rehabilitator opened the transport box, and the kestrel flapped its wings and jumped up.
the primary flight feathers were cut short, the toenails and the upper beak were cut off, and the feet were tied and discarded on the roadside... last winter, the beijing raptor rescue center received a kestrel. because of its serious injuries, the rehabilitation therapist once worried that it will not be able to hunt and survive in the future. what is gratifying is that during the more than 10 months of treatment at the center, the kestrel gradually recovered and met the standards for release. it returned to nature yesterday in beijing olympic forest park.
on the afternoon of the 26th, rehabilitators from the beijing raptor rehabilitation center brought raptor transport boxes to the beijing olympic forest park. the two transport boxes contain red-bellied eagles and kestrels respectively, both of which are national second-level protected wild animals. the rehabilitation technician selected an open area and prepared to release the kestrel first.
a reporter from the beijing youth daily saw that the rehabilitator slowly placed the raptor transport box on the ground, and opened the box mouth toward the woods. when the kestrel saw the outside world, it flapped its wings without hesitation and jumped up, instantly diving into the woods. disappear from people's sight. the red-bellied eagle that was released afterward, like the kestrel, ran towards nature without hesitation.
"olympic forest park has a large green area, relatively open terrain, and many wild animals. the habitat will be friendly to raptors." zheng zhishan, manager of the beijing raptor rescue center, said that the kestrel that was first released is a relatively common raptor and has the ability to adapt to the urban environment. stronger, the olympic forest park located in the city is a good choice for it.
zheng zhishan also said that the center must conduct two assessments before releasing raptors. first, the physical condition and flying ability of raptors must remain good, and past injuries and illnesses must have been resolved; secondly, in terms of behavior, raptors must maintain normal vigilance towards humans, both don't get close and don't take the initiative to attack.
data from the beijing raptor rescue center shows that the kestrel released this time weighed 190 grams in august this year, and its chest muscle attachment index was 4.5. when it first arrived at the center last year, it weighed 150 grams, and its chest muscle attachment the index of the keel process is only 3.0. worst of all, the kestrel had been abused and was seriously injured.
on the evening of november 15, 2023, on a highway bridge on xinhua north road in tongzhou district, a citizen found an abandoned kestrel and took it to the roadside. ms. zhao jing happened to be passing by. "at that time, the kestrel's feet were tied with tape, and its claws and upper beak were almost missing. it may have been abused." according to ms. zhao's recollection, she contacted many units, but none of them could provide rescue for the kestrel. , and finally found the beijing raptor rescue center. the kestrel spent the night at ms. zhao's home and was picked up by the center's staff the next day.
after arriving at the beijing raptor rescue center, the rehabilitation technician first performed a comprehensive physical examination on the kestrel and found that its white blood cells in the blood test were higher than normal, which combined with the trauma indicated that it had an infection. what makes people angry is that some of the kestrel's primary flight feathers, all toenails and the upper beak were cut off. the third toes on both sides were broken off from the joints, and some bones were exposed. rehabilitators suspect that the kestrel was abused, had its legs tied, and abandoned on a highway bridge.
according to zheng zhishan, the core of raptor toenails is made of bone, and the length almost reaches the tip of the toenail. cutting too deeply will cause pain to the raptor and may cause osteomyelitis and other diseases. cutting from the root will even damage the bones and cause serious problems. "the raptor relies on its claws to hunt, and part of its third toe on both sides has been amputated. if the remaining toenails cannot grow back, it will not be able to return to the wild." zheng zhishan told the beijing youth daily reporter that all the rehabilitation specialists at the center have i'm worried that this kestrel's toenails won't grow back.
birds of prey are at the top of the food chain and play an irreplaceable role in maintaining ecological balance. according to the "ornithology of beijing" records, the kestrel is a slightly smaller raptor that usually spies on the tops of tall trees and telephone poles for prey, such as insects, lizards, small snakes, squirrels, frogs, etc. once it finds its prey, it quickly dive, fall, and pounce forward.
during the treatment of the kestrel, the rehabilitation therapist thoroughly disinfected its cut toenails, upper beak, and broken toes, and bandaged the toenails. since part of the broken toe was necrotic, the rehabilitation specialist amputated the necrotic part, sutured the wound and bandaged it.
fortunately, with repeated wound treatment, medication, and blood test monitoring, the kestrel's toenails and upper beak gradually grew to normal levels. the only regret is that there is no possibility of recovering the broken toe of the kestrel. it can only adapt to life in the wild with its disability.
