The efforts of a group of people dedicated to protecting their country’s fauna paid off. A bird of an endangered species was reintroduced this year in your natural habitat, in South Africatime after having been rescued due to health problems. The story spread through social networks.
On May 28, a copy of secretary (Serpent archer) ―a bird of prey in danger of extinction– return to nature thanks to the South African non-profit organization Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW).
This entity, committed to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of orphaned and injured wild animals, He announced the news in early June on his official Facebook page.
«A moment to celebrate. Rescued weak and exhaustedcarefully rehabilitated and now on track towards a second chance in life. the bird was successfully released in their natural habitat on May 28 after completing their rehabilitation at CROW. This is why we do what we do,» the organization wrote in a post from June 3.
In turn, CROW shared a video of the moment of reintegration on the social platform, which received thousands of views.
How was the rescue and rehabilitation of the animal?
The secretary’s copy was found in disrepair at the beginning of may in an area of the province of KwaZulu-Natalin eastern South Africa. At that time, a team from Durban & Coast SPCA – a non-profit organization dedicated to the protection of animals – moved the bird to the rehabilitation center of CROW, located in the city of Durban.
«Durban & Coast SPCA brought to CROW a secretary who was in a state of weakness and exhaustion. Upon arrival, our team acted immediatelyplacing the bird on the stretcher, where every detail was important. «His wings were carefully checked, his body was evaluated and signs of injuries were thoroughly examined,» the entity clarified. in a post from Facebook on May 11.
At first, according to CROW, the center’s specialists stabilized the «patient» by fluid therapya treatment based on the administration of liquids to compensate for imbalances in the body.
«The bird’s condition was fragile.but they watched her closely. Then came a moment of silence that said more than a thousand words… they laid her down on the floor, she slowly composed herself and stood up on her own«said the organization in the same post.
Fortunately, after several weeks of care and rehabilitation at the CROW center, the secretary was able to move forward and thus return to nature.
Facts and characteristics of the bird
The secretary is a kind of bird endemic to Africa. «It’s a bird unique and fascinating that lives in sub-Saharan Africa. It is the only member of its family, Sagittariidae, that not found anywhere else of the planet», stated on their website the non-profit organization BirdLife South Africa, dedicated to bird conservation.
«These raptors of long legs son world famous for its ability to take down its prey with precise and powerful kickswhich include poisonous snakes. Such is the admiration for this extraordinary species that appears proudly in the coat of arms from South Africa, as protection symbol«added this entity.
On the other hand, in terms of their dimensions, the specimens of this species measure between 125 y 150 centimeters and have a wingspan of more than two meters, according to the UK non-profit conservation organization World Land Trust.
«It is tragically ironic that we are not currently protecting this species from drastic decrease in population recorded throughout Africa (a decline of around 75% in South Africa and even greater in other regions). This population decline led the IUCN (editor’s note: International Union for Conservation of Nature) to classify it as an endangered species in 2020, indicating that there is a real risk of the species becoming extinct if no action is taken. Therefore, BirdLife South Africa works hard to understand the ecology of this species and implement effective conservation measures to protect it,» BirdLife South Africa stated on its page.
