[MakkabI]

An Eastern Imperial Eagle, a rare bird in the area, was found last week with a gunshot wound in his wing. The eagle, which was taken to the medical center for wild animals - jointly run by the Israel Nature and National Parks Protection Authority (INNPPA) and Safari wild animal park in Ramat Gan - was bandaged and treated with antibiotics, and underwent a series tests and treatments. It is still unclear if and when he will be released to the wild. Three eagles have now been found with similar wounds over the past month.

The Imperial Eagle is defined as being in danger of global extinction, and the world population is estimated at 350-700 pairs. An estimated 60-70 of these eagles winter in Israel every year.

The INNPPA ranger for the southwestern Galilee region, Shay Koren, said that the eagle was found by chance Friday during a project to monitor pelicans in the Acre valley. INNPPA bird ecologist Ifat Davidson noticed that the eagle was on the ground and unable to fly very high in the fields near Kibbutz Kfar Masaryk's fish ponds. The rangers realized he was in distress, and followed it throughout the day.



Koren continued to track the wounded eagle Saturday morning, aided by Shimon Lahat of Kibbutz Ein Hamifratz. They spent three hours trapping the eagle, and then took him to the medical center for treatment. "He was exhausted by then, barely able to fly," Koren said. A rifle bullet appears to have pierced the soft tissue of the eagle's right wing and gone right through. "He did not lose his ability to fly completely," INNPPA bird ecologist Ohad Hatsofe said. "We're still not sure if he will be able to fly again, and whether the damage is reversible. The tendon was damaged, and the eagle is currently bandaged and receiving medical treatment. We hope he will be okay." Hatsofe said that this is the third case in the past month of an eagle being found by INNPPA rangers with gunshot wounds. One eagle was treated, rehabilitated and released, another was wounded in a large area of the wing and has lost its ability to fly, and therefore, will not return to the wild.

"Many wounded eagles keep flying and stop in Israel after being shot by hunters in southern Lebanon, but illegal hunting in northern Israel also takes its toll on the local bird population," Hatsofe said. "Every year, many types of birds are hurt by poisoning, illegal hunting and electrocution."

Hatsofe said that at least five Eastern Imperial Eagles have been electrocuted, but thanks to protective measures by the Israel Electric Corp., only one died this year. On the other hand, three vultures have died from electrocution in the Golan Heights over the past two months.

Most poisoning takes place in the Upper Galilee region, where cattle ranchers occasionally poison their neighbors' cows in squabbles over grazing territory. The birds eat the poisoned beef or the meat of wild animals that have eaten the beef, and die. There have been fewer poisoning cases this year compared to past years. When it does occur, INNPPA quickly buries the carcasses of the poisoned cattle before the eagles land and eat from them.