A Grey-headed Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus ichthyaetus), that was rescued by the volunteers of Animal Rescuers, was released by the Forest Department in its natural habitat on Wednesday after two weeks of care.
T. K. Ashok Kumar, District Forest Officer, Coimbatore Forest Division, released the raptor that primarily feeds on fresh water fishes.
The eagle was rescued by volunteers of Animal Rescuers from Singanallur area two weeks ago. It was sheltered at the rehabilitation aviary of the Forest Department on the DFO office premises.
“A veterinarian examined the eagle that had a minor injury on one of its wings. Its condition improved after a few days of treatment. It started flying inside the aviary normally some days ago, after which a decision was taken on its release,” said Mr. Ashok Kumar.
The raptor was in the ‘Near Threatened’ category of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species, he said.
