Rescued bird returns to the wild after specialist care following suspected road strike
Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.
At a glance
- FreeMe Wildlife rescued an augur buzzard found vulnerable beside a road in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
- After veterinary treatment and weeks rebuilding its flight strength in a special enclosure, the bird was cleared for release.
- The organization returned it to a conservation area within its territory, near where it was found.
An augur buzzard has returned to the wild in South Africa after weeks of specialist care following what FreeMe Wildlife said was a suspected vehicle strike.
The nonprofit organization, which rescues, rehabilitates and releases wildlife in KwaZulu-Natal, shared the birdโs story on social media between August and September. A woman found the raptor in a vulnerable condition beside a road and took it to FreeMe Wildlife for veterinary assistance.
Here, birds can fly continuously, increasing their strength, endurance and flight muscles in a controlled environment before returning to nature. It is a crucial step to ensure they are physically prepared for life outside rehabilitation.
After the bird began recovering, specialists moved it to a dedicated flight enclosure. The controlled space allowed it to fly continuously while gradually rebuilding its strength, endurance and flight muscles before returning to the wild.
โHere, birds can fly continuously, increasing their strength, endurance and flight muscles in a controlled environment before returning to nature. It is a crucial step to ensure they are physically prepared for life outside rehabilitation,โ the organization said in an August 18 Facebook post.
After spending weeks rehabilitating, strengthening its muscles and improving its flight skills in our airfield, this augur buzzard was finally ready to return home.
Following several weeks of rehabilitation, the buzzard received veterinary clearance. โAfter spending weeks rehabilitating, strengthening its muscles and improving its flight skills in our airfield, this augur buzzard was finally ready to return home,โ FreeMe Wildlife said in a September 5 post.
The bird was released at the Howick Umngeni River Conservancy, inside its territory and not far from where it had been found. Social media users welcomed the release, with one calling it โwonderfulโ and another writing, โAlive and free. Hallelujah! Thank you, FreeMe Wildlife.โ
Alive and free. Hallelujah! Thank you, FreeMe Wildlife.
Originally published by Clarรญn in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.