Simon Thomsett

Category: Cataract Operation for Rosy, Crowned Eagles | Date: Aug 17 2008 | By: simonthomsett

For those following the Crowned Eagle ‘saga’, it is important to separate two parallel issues. One is Rosy’s eye operation and the other is the closing down of my facility at Athi. The urgency to get Rosy’s eyes operated on does not depend upon the date I move out of Athi, nor the African expedition that Laila and I will do shortly thereafter. We all agree that Rosy comes first. But he demands daily maintenance now, and will do so for at least a week or two after the operation. So the sooner this is done the better for all parties.

The reason for leaving has already been outlined, but poor security and the increased cost of maintaining what amounts to a zoo summarises the difficulty in trying to do anything other than “holding the fort”. The decision to cease the raptor rehabilitation side of my life has upset a lot of close friends and relatives, but they all knew it had to stop, one day. They hope it will continue, as do I, once the foundation for it is firm and self sustaining. The plan is to release all those birds that can be released, find homes for the rest. In a country famous for its human/wildlife relationships such as depicted in “Born Free”, it is surprising to know that very few people are allowed to hold wildlife and options are very few and far between. I was not prepared to give the birds over to institutions or private collections that have (at their own self admission) not the facilities to keep the birds. To find Rosy and Girl a new home and new foster parents was going to be tough.

Rosy with an egg (Photo by Laila bahaa-el-din)

I drove to Naivasha on the 13th August to meet Sarah and Mike Higgins who own a beautiful piece of property that looks onto a small wildlife conservancy of Crescent Island. Set among Yellow fever trees, the view out front is of uninterrupted passage of impala, giraffe and wildebeest. Yet just behind them is a working farm fringed by a tall hedge that demarcates their property from their neighbours. In here is the “veg patch”. Closer to the main house, Sarah built two very smart sheds for one of my old one winged Fish Eagles, and another for a pair of flightless Augur Buzzards. Somewhere between the two is a number of shrubbery filled sheds with an extremely fecund pair of Barn Owls and a rather sinister Spotted Eagle Owl who tucks herself up and stares over her shoulder with one half closed eye. Sarah is surrounded by her owls, and even has some Marsh Owls that come into the house at night and play with the curtains. Like all our birds, they are waifs and strays, one winged, one eyed wrecks that have no hope other than captivity. I was very late in realizing that we shared a common interest although I have known Sarah for a long time. But when I asked for help, there was no question of backing out.

With the smaller raptors, it wasn’t too much to ask. They did not need anything more than just a shed. But with the Crowned Eagles, it is a very different matter as if alarmed, this eagle could put you in hospital or worse. Sarah knows this and is very anxious that the birds will have a good home and continue to breed.

Duchess, one of Rosy’s and Girl’s offspring, that was successfully released last year (Photo by Laila Bahaa-el-din)

Nothing can beat the way these eagles were housed before. On Game Ranching Athi River, they could sit and stare out over tens of thousands of acres of uninterrupted plains and watch the giraffe and wildebeest wander by in their hundreds. A few weeks ago, I saw Girl staring hard at the only decent sized acacia tree about 200m distant. I thought she was daft, but double checked to see, just see with strong binoculars, the tops of ears of two, maybe more cheetah. There is no question that the peace and tranquility of such a scene, plus the sometimes naturally occurring alarming events make the pair feel they have a territory and a place to defend. When a Martial or a Tawny Eagle flies low over the house they call out and get very protective. It is all part of the daily routine that gets them into breeding condition.

In Naivasha, the situation will be different and they will have to contend with the constant hum of distant tractors, people’s voices, arrival of cars which less sensitive raptors would learn to ignore quickly. But Crowned Eagles are truly leopards in their shyness and suspicion of all things. With good planning, however, it is possible that they can get almost exactly the same design shed, and with luck, when Rosy is better…….they will continue to breed.

When it comes to weighing up options, the most demanding criteria is whether or not the people looking after the eagles care. And Sarah cares, a lot.

So it is settled. In the next few weeks, I will be shuttling materials from Athi to Naivasha to build a duplicate shed. Sarah will become their guardian until such a time as Laila and I return, and if and when I can find a new location.

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Tags: Crowned Eagle, Relocation, Rosy

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