Long Flight Area Helps Rescued Raptors
Words: Pattie Pegler
Images: Supplied
The long, slow flight of harrier hawks circling overhead is a sight many of us love to see against our wide-open Canterbury skies.
Sadly, New Zealand raptors like these and the morepork, little owl and F=falcon – live with many risks. Timaru-based NZ Raptor Trust was set up in 2016 to help preserve these wonderful creatures and they rescue and rehabilitate them. They have recently added a ‘long flight’ area to their facility that will allow raptors to fly in a safe confined area prior which is great for building up strength prior to release back into the wild.
So why do raptors end up in the sanctuary? The typical reasons are broken wings or concussion but the team also see abandoned chicks and earlier this year also noticed a spate of raptors with lead poisoning. Raptors that feed on carcasses that have been shot and left to rot can easily get lead poisoning and it only takes a small amount of lead to do this. Typical signs of lead poisoning include clenched feet and being unable to stand and if left untreated the animals die. One way to try and avoid this is for hunters to cut out the area of lead shot in the carcass if they’re leaving it out in the wild – that way the birds still get to feed on the carcasses without the risk of poisoning.
The Trust are seeing more birds coming through – last year they had 65 birds through in the entire year. So far in 2024 they have had 63 birds come into their care. Of these 49 have been hawks, 12 have been owls and 2 have been falcons.
As the Trust continues to grow and more people become aware of it, their needs also grow. They welcome financial support, assistance with transporting injured birds to and from the centre and they’re also putting out a call at the moment for food.
Aside from supporting the NZ Raptor Trust – we can all help raptors by being more aware of these amazing creatures and the risks that they encounter. If you’d like to find out more about NZ Raptor Trust or go along to one of their ‘encounter’ sessions at the sanctuary, check them out online at www.nzraptor.org
