Simon Thomsett

Category: Cataract Operation for Rosy, Crowned Eagles | Date: Aug 06 2008 | By: simonthomsett

The final decision for Rosy. Chapter 3

I have been asked “Is it worth doing this to a poor animal? Why not spare him the misery?” Rosy has a heart of iron, and if you saw him now, blind and on the ground (see photo), you would not dare venture close to him. He can still kill you, and rest assured he will try if he knows you are inside his breeding shed and possibility threatening his mate. No, Rosy wants to live and he is by no means a poor pathetic creature.

Rosy has governed what I do, where and how I live for most of my life. He has spanned generations of people concerned about raptors and has helped raise awareness. On the strength of his charisma, he netted recognition for what I do in the way of raptor conservation. One thing led to another and Kenya is certainly back on the map as a hot spot in Africa for raptor work and conservation. Much of that is owed to Rosy. He is a very important individual too when it comes to his donation of genes into the wild. Most eagles are lucky to sire half a dozen young. Rosy and Girl have beaten the record and will certainly continue to do so if given the chance. They have more young out there in the wild then most wild eagle pairs could ever hope for. There is no reason to think that his advanced years might mean that I have to contemplate having to put him down. He has easily 10 more years in him as a breeder, possibly more.

In the next few weeks I shall try to ensure that Rosy and Girl get a new shed in a safe location (possibly in Naivasha) with caring people. So far I have a reserved “yes”, but I need to reassure them that it will work out.  All the eagles need is peace, quiet, plus good food. That equals lots of babies. I will then at that point emerge from a year safari to take the young and release them somewhere. I may, if I am able, find a new location with better prospects, settle and then ask for them back. I need very understanding people to be able to take on this responsibility, who will, one day, give them up.

In quick succession we have to get Rosy to the hospital, examine and measure his lens with a special ultra sound gizmo, send off the specs to USA for IOL (lens) to be made. These are then DHL’ed back. At this point, things remain open. Paula Kahumbu and I talked this over with Richard Leakey in the Wildlife Direct office yesterday. He mentioned that he knew a highly skilled animal eye surgeon who might be willing to fly out to Kenya to do this one operation. Rosy is after all a very Important Eagle! Right now, we are waiting to hear back. After surgery, whenever it happens, Rosy will then need intensive care for at least a week, prior to being moved to his new location.This will take time. In mid September Laila Bahaa el din and I will set off around Kenya working on raptors prior to our journey across the continent. I have prioritized this fact-finding safari on African raptor status above so much. The magnitude of its importance is difficult to articulate to many of those that know me. Few can believe it possible that I would ever give up. I haven’t. In fact, I just added a whole load of responsibilities. I know the trip will be more important, and yes I have to remind myself of this sometimes, especially in the tough few weeks ahead.

It has taken me the whole of this last year to summon the courage to accept that things must change.

Rosy will get better. He and Girl will breed once more in a beautiful location. I owe that to him. He won’t really care what happens so long as he is with his mate. It has been heartening to see so many people freely give up their time to try and help Rosy. I am grateful to all of the above mentioned people.

For the first time since writing this blog, I am sure now on what I need donations for. I had not previously asked (although some kind people donated anyway!), being that the centre was in decline and running out of time and money. I do now make a request. I noted a quote given by the animal eye hospital in South Africa at some 14,000 Rand, or about $2,100, for both eyes and their IOLs. While we have had to drop that option, it may be plausible given the same costs are likely to be incurred here to aim for that sort of figure.

So there it is. If anyone can contribute, please do.

Tags: Cataract, Crowned Eagle, Operation, Rosy

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Category: Cataract Operation for Rosy, Crowned Eagles | Date: Aug 05 2008 | By: simonthomsett

The red tape in getting Rosy operated on. Chapter 2.

I had not made plans for Rosy’s immediate surgery. Now it is a priority. Some years ago I asked Dr Mark Wood of Kikuyu Eye Hospital to help with a wild female Crowned Eagle that was blind in one eye. Her iris and lens were fused in a tangle, probably the result of having had a branch, thorn or horn go right into the eye. He was surprised at the size of the eye, larger than a human’s and was able to use laser surgery to make a pin-hole camera effect so that she could partly see from it. The eagles breathing and heart stopped many times during surgery as she was given too much anaesthetic. She took about 3 days before she opened her eyes. We had been very lucky.  I do not think she survived more than 6 months after we released her back into her forest. But it did confirm that we had the know-how and potential to do the surgery here. I then got in contact with Dr Carmen Colitz in USA who forwarded a paper regarding surgery on a Horned Owl that was given Inter Ocular Lens (IOL) and later released into the wild. Dr Helen Lecke, a human eye surgeon in Kenya also helped in showing interest in this case. It was strongly suggested that I contact the only specialized unit in Africa that does animal eye surgery. I wrote to Dr Izak Venture info@animaleyehospital.co.za. He was anxious to do the operation at a special unit and on particular days. It would be expensive as I would have to travel with Rosy of course but this news was encouraging. Now I had to deal with the most difficult part. Getting a CITES permit for his export to South Africa.  

Dr Isack Lekolool of Kenya Wildlife Service Vet dept’ came to see Rosy. He was convinced that he needed treatment immediately and preferably in South Africa. My next visit to KWS was not as productive. I was given poor reception and left very much discouraged by the irony that laws put in place to help conserve wildlife, can hamper it. I had to clear a long list of errands, some of which are not applicable in this unique circumstance. (I am currently working on updating the local IUCN summaries that influence CITES on the status of our raptors, which makes this even more painful). The final stumbling block is the inability to designate a person in South Africa as the legal recipient of the eagle, and thus the one making an application for a CITES import permit. No such person exists, and this is not the situation. The eagle would only be exported for a few days, making as much paper work for his return. It should be much simpler than this but communication has had to resort to posting formal letters which will take far too long. 

Picture of Rosy’s eye today.

My time budget is also limited. There is no space to explain here, but after a lifetime of working with raptors and having them all over my home, placed scenically in remote bush locations, I have come to the end of the road. I am leaving, finding homes for my birds and packing up a museum’s worth of accumulated furniture and raptor related mountains of stuff. I have no idea where to put it and have only this month to close the house down. I left the Peregrine Fund last year partly because the house and hawks itself demanded virtually all my time and I was unable to keep abreast of my work and even personal duties elsewhere. There is much more to it than that of course … some of it is personal. As usual the work load seemed to increase, but I was finally able to travel and get out of a hole into which I had dug far too deep. But the year dragged out and the cost of living increased until I was no longer sure if I could pay the rent, staff, fuel bills etc.

Tags: Cataract, Crowned Eagle, Operation, Rosy

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Category: Uncategorized | Date: Aug 02 2008 | By: simonthomsett

Paula Kahumbu came over with her son Josh over the weekend and sat me down in front of the computer for an intense course. She used a new cell phone modem that cut through the fog and finally I was able to see the Wildlife Direct web site in the comfort of my own computer!

I noted with delight that I have been given quite a bit of money. Some $400 has been donated by three people. It is all the more  generous as I have never specified what I need money for, and to be honest I never thought I would get donations. Now that I have, I must first acknowledge how grateful I am, and also confide in those that support this work that I have had to make a lot of changes of late.

I am grateful to Fineley, Teresa and Antonio and can tell you all that I shall probably put this money into saving the sight of Rosy the male Crowned Eagle. I shall have to post this particular story soon, but in short,Rosy now 32 years old has cataracts in both eyes. He now sits on his shed floor with his mate occasionally descending from the nest tree above to help feed him. He must have an operation that can restore his sight to near normal. Frustratingly, the very laws put in place to help protect wildlife, instead of assisting and expediating the process have conspired to thwart his emergency export to the only animal eye hospital in Africa. I have a quote for the operation at some 14,797 Rand(about $2140) info@animaleyehospital.co.za (without airfare). I shall now try to raise funds for this project, perhaps through this blog.

In the last year there have been many changes in the life of my raptor collection due to necessary changes in how I live and support myself financially. I have not earned any money for this last year, having asked my former employer that I retire in order to re-evaluate my priorities. The reasons were mostly due to a domestic personal down-turn of events but inflation and increasing lack of security in the immediate area were additional factors.

This entails closing down all operations at Game Ranching Athi River where the birds and I live. I have actively tried to get the collection to its lowest for some years now, recognising that I cannot work, meet expectations and keep a menagerie of wild animals at the same time. The birds down from some 20, to 9 in the last year to now only 6. Most have been released (as is the objective) and others will be given new homes. I plan to be able to return to this former life, with some of my old collection of birds if possible once I am more secure and better able to manage them to a standard they deserve.

Far from backing out I hope to become more effective and better able to financially support these animals. I intend to get some important data regarding the status of raptors throughout Africa and ultimately earning some revenue.

I will be driving throughout Africa with Laila gathering material for a series of reports and books on raptors. Laila Bahaa-el-din is as passionate about raptors and conservation of wildlife as I.  She is a highly talented stills photographer and travelled widely working with monkeys, cheetah, tigers, vultures on three continents. She also knows how to organise and most importantly how to run a computer with all its unintelligble communication problems that so inhibit me. She will soon be writing on this blog, introducing the across Africa Raptor Expedition.

Thanks again to all of those that check in from time to time and especially to those who have donated.

Tags: Cataract, Crowned Eagle, Operation, thanks

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