How you can save China's endangered birds
A kettle of migrating raptors soar across the vast, blue sky. Admiring the sight, Dai Chang, a rehabilitator at the Beijing Raptor Rescue Center, felt a mixture of awe and trepidation.
China is home to many species of raptors, such as owls, eagles and hawks. Raptors are generally large birds that hunt for smaller birds, rodents and insects. Migratory raptors in China fly to southern Africa in autumn and return in spring. Each trip can be more than 10,000 kilometers.
"I hope that these raptors will reach their destinations safe," said Dai. "Illegal capture, habitat destruction, food shortages, inappropriate aid — these are but a few of the threats raptors face on their migration twice a year."
All raptors are protected by Chinese law; they are classified as national first-level protected species.
The Beijing center rescues and rehabilitates injured raptors. To date, it has rescued more than 4,000 of them.
In 2016, it released 71 percent of admitted raptors back to the wild. Over 80 percent of the raptors injured by humans were due to illegal captivity.
If you encounter an injured raptor, you may be tempted to nurse it for a few days. Despite the good intentions, keeping it captive is illegal and a potential threat to its life.
Dai shared the case of a baby kestrel picked up by a woman named Wang who decided to keep it for a while rather than send it to the center.
A cardboard box filled with straw became the kestrel’s temporary nest. Every day, Wang would feed the raptor with beef and mutton from the wet market. After a month, she noticed the kestrel could no longer stand. It was then admitted to the center and sent for an X-ray.
“We found 44 bone fractures. The baby kestrel suffered from a severe nutrient imbalance, especially since it was still growing. Its bones were too brittle. We were unable to save the raptor,” said Dai.
“Kestrels hunt for mice, lizards and toads. They definitely do not eat beef or mutton. Do not assume that kestrels and humans can have the same diet, or your actions will only be detrimental to its health."
Most raptors sent to the center are from good Samaritans. On arrival, an injured bird receives a thorough health examination. Next, it undergoes rehabilitation and medical treatment. Rehabilitators only release the raptors when they are physically and mentally healthy again.
“All wildlife creatures are afraid of humans,” said Dai. “Even if it is wounded, raptors will use their last breath to escape any human contact. So if you encounter a bruised raptor, it would mean it has sustained grievous harm.”
If you discover an injured raptor, contact a licensed rehabilitation group such as the Beijing center immediately. Next, place the raptor in a cardboard box with air holes. With that as a temporary container, it is safer to transport the wounded raptor. Do not feed it or give it any medicine.
If you come across baby birds that have fallen from their nests, do not take them away. These are such regular occurrences, especially during breeding season. The best way to help is to place the baby bird on higher ground in a safe area closer to its nest. Its parents will tend to it after a while. Only when a bird is injured or found in an unsafe environment should it need help from wildlife organizations.
At the Beijing center, rehabilitators may even dress up as trees when handling baby raptors. They do so to prevent fledglings from getting attached to humans. If that happens, it is harder for raptors to return to the wild.
“Rescuing raptors is never easy. At times, the injuries sustained by the raptor are too severe to be saved,” said Dai Chang. “Yet, whenever we can help a raptor recover fully to soar into the skies again, it reminds us that our effort is worth it.”
The Beijing Raptor Rescue Center is a non-governmental raptor rescue and rehabilitation facility jointly founded in 2001 by Beijing Normal University, the Beijing Wildlife Protection Nature Reserve and the International Fund for Animal Welfare.