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Injured birds at home in Naivasha

Friday January 20 2017
birds

Left, an African Wood Owl, and right, an Augur Buzzard at the Naivasha Owl Centre. PHOTOS | KARI MUTU

About 14 years ago, a barn owl with a broken wing was rescued and treated near Lake Naivasha, some 90km northwest of Nairobi.

The wing did not heal well enough for the owl to fly again, so Sarah Higgins built an owlery in her home and became, by default, a bird keeper.

The Naivasha Owl Centre is one of a handful of sanctuaries in Kenya for rehabilitating owls, eagles and other injured birds.

The birds are fed and treated by a team of trained keepers and student volunteers, then released back into the wild. However, some birds sustain irreparable injuries and remain at the centre.

On the day of our visit, we found a young Ruppell’s Griffon vulture sharing an outdoor enclosure with a large lappet-faced vulture with a bald pink head.

As a fledgling in the wild, the Griffon vulture was pounced on by a Verreaux’s eagle owl and fell to the ground resulting in wing damage. It was then attacked by baboons, all of which was captured by a camera crew that informed the centre.

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The lappet fell seriously ill after consuming a poisoned carcass intended for lions in suspected livestock predation. It was also bitten by a feeding jackal at the same carcass, and its wing was permanently damaged.

Injured birds are treated at the centre’s clinic, which has an operating theatre and recovery room. We noticed that many of the bird perches are covered in rubber matting that, Sarah explained, prevents bumblefoot, a foot infection that occurs when birds rest on smooth surfaces for too long.

In another outdoor aviary there was a spotted eagle that had been wounded by a group of dogs and lost one wing. As we approached the aviary, it fluffed out its feathers; the eagle does this when it feels threatened, in order to look bigger than it is.

Sarah explained that sometimes well-meaning people rescue birds of prey but look after them incorrectly, resulting in further impairment. She showed us a pair of augur buzzards that were fed the wrong diet by a rescuer and as a result they never grew the primary feathers that are essential for flight.

Creating public awareness about birds of prey is an important aspect of the centre’s work. Owls are traditionally feared for their nocturnal habits, silent flight and heads that swivel almost 360 degrees. Some cultures believe that if an owl was spotted in the daytime, death is imminent.

Owls cannot roll their eyes but instead rotate their flexible necks up to 270 degrees. They have excellent long vision in low light, and specially adapted feathers for soundless flight, perfect for hunting with stealth.

“Owls are the best mouse disposal unit that God has given us,” said Sarah.

Through outreaches to local schools, staff of the Naivasha Owl Centre teach children about birds of prey.

We went to another enclosure housing a slender, brown barn owl called Gatamaiyu. It was rescued by school pupils of Gatamaiyu School in Kinangop who had been educated about owls. In the past, the bird would probably have been destroyed.

In the garden area of the centre is Leipzig, a migratory white stork that damaged its wing while flying from Europe to South Africa. It was found by Maasai herdsmen who sent a message to the centre. Although now fully healed, Leipzig is unable to fly and lives permanently on the front lawn with a local pelican that has lost one wing.

Birds identified for release are trained using falconry techniques so as to build up their flight and hunting skills. During our visit, we came across a trainer wearing a heavy glove and working with yellow-beaked hawks, an augur buzzard and a young fisheagle, all standing on falconry perches.

The owls are trained in a flying area that looks like a small runway enclosed by a mesh fence. Every morning, Sarah puts the owls through flying exercises using mice as bait.

Before release, the centre must identify suitable areas. Territorial birds like the spotted eagle owls and fish eagles can only be returned to a place without others of their kind otherwise a fatal fight would ensue. Throughout our visit, we could hear wild fish eagles calling out, so the rescued fish eagles cannot be released in Naivasha.

Towards the end of our visit, we had a chance to hold Tai, a rescued Verreaux’s eagle owl with huge black eyes and pink eyelids.

Over the years, the centre has cared for more than 190 birds but further work needs to be done such as education, bird research and obtaining more equipment for better veterinary care. “Our dream is to have a full time or even part-time avian vet,” said Sarah.

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