SmartBirds
Kali, the Imperial eagle during the tagging with a transmitter in South-Eastern Bulgaria, © Volen Arkumarev
It is not a secret that birds face numerous threats during migration. Poisons, poachers, and dangerous power lines are the most common threats. The transmitters, however, sometimes reveal stories like from adventure novels. Such an amazing story of the Imperial eagle called Kali reached us thanks to the satellite transmitter and the good cooperation with colleagues from abroad who also work for bird conservation and share our cause.
Kali hatched in a nest located on a tall poplar tree in Southeastern Bulgaria. In July, a team from the BSPB installed a transmitter on him.
Climbing to the eagle’s nest, © Stoycho Stoychev
Since then we have been following his movements. After leaving the native nest and wandering a bit in South-Eastern Bulgaria, also visiting Northern Greece and European Turkey, Kali migrated through the Middle East reaching Egypt.
The Imperial eagle’s route from Bulgaria to Egypt
But something happened to the eagle near Suez. On October 29, we received alarming data that the eagle was standing on the ground for a long time and we suspected that it had died. Soon after, the signal stopped completely, which meant that someone had probably found the transmitter and destroyed it. Nearly two weeks followed with no word from Kali. Out of the blue, on November 11, our colleagues from the Israel Nature and Parks Authority informed us that their ranger had found the eagle during one of his patrols. Kali was hanging upside down from a tall tree.
The imperial eagle as found hanging on the tree, © Israel Nature and Parks Authority
The ranger selflessly climbs the tree and manages to bring down the bird. We recognized Kali by the rings, but the transmitter was missing. Rangers transported him to a bird rehabilitation center.
The eagle after being removed from the tree, © Israel Nature and Parks Authority
Analyzing the facts, our experts suggest that the eagle was captured by poachers in Egypt, where the illegal capture and trade of falcons and other birds of prey is not a rare practice. Poachers probably removed and destroyed the transmitter. They tied the eagle with a rope, but it managed to break free and reached Israel together with the rope. There the rope became entangled in the branches of the tree he was using to rest, and in this helpless state, he was found by the local ranger.
After the ranger’s intervention, we thought the story would have a happy ending and Kali would fly again. Unfortunately, however, the rope caused permanent damage to the leg and veterinarians decided to euthanize the eagle to end its suffering. Thus, Kali the Imperial eagle became another endangered bird victim of threats on the migration route.
Kali in the rehabilitation center, © Israel Wildlife Hospital
We thank colleagues at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority for their efforts to save Kali and their good cooperation.
The distance from the place of capture in Egypt to the place where he was found hanging on a tree in Israel
