BREAKING: Simon Thomsett removes a pink bandage from the injured wing of a short-tailed eagle from the African savannah, an endangered species of bird of prey.
“There’s still a long way to go before it heals,” Tomsett explained as he picked up the bird’s black flag and examined the wound.
“It was injured in the Maasai Mara National Park, but we don’t know how to do it,” said the 62-year-old vet, who runs the Soysambu Raptor Center in central Kenya.
The 18-month-old eagle, with its distinctive red beak and black body, was brought to the shelter five months ago, and was held by about 30 injured raptors.
Sanctuary in Soysambu reserve is one of the safe places for birds of prey.
A study published in January by the US-based non-profit Peregrine Fund found that the number of rapes on the continent has dropped by 90 percent over the past 40 years.
“You can’t drive 200 kilometers (about 125 miles) on the road today and not see a rapist,” Thomsett said.
“If you had done this 20 years ago, you would have rejected it.”
There are many reasons for the decline.
Ants and other scavengers have died from eating animal waste – victims of the practice of poisoning carcasses to prevent animals from approaching the herd of tigers.
Deforestation plays an important role in Africa, as well as the rise of power lines, causing the death of birds of prey.
Dozens of large electricity poles built in recent years have damaged the Soysambu reserve.
