Dispatches From The Field

3 August, 2003 -- Luke Dollar

Raptor rescue

As is usually the case with most long-term field biology projects in rural or remote areas, local people quickly learn who is around and what our expertise and interest might be. For us, we almost always find ourselves the guardians or rehabilitators for injured or confiscated wildlife. Often, the National Park Service or Water & Forests Department brings us confiscated animals for temporary care. Other times, villagers encounter injured wildlife and take the initiative to seek our help. Most recently, we were called upon for help by our friends from the dinosaur dig site north of Ankarafantsika.

We usually meet with our fellow researchers pretty regularly to keep each other apprised of news, stocked with supplies, and to sometimes just talk with someone different for a little while. For our most recent get-together, they brought along a new team member, who we quickly “adopted.” “Errol” is a juvenile yellow-billed kite who crashed while disoriented as a result of flying through smoke from a brush fire. This sophomoric move left Errol with a broken right wing and left leg. Normally, that would’ve been the end for him. Luckily, a villager near one of the dinosaur dig quarries saw the crash and brought the bird to our paleontologist friends for help. Our digger friends brought Errol to us.

I’m happy to report that Errol’s wing is almost completely mended and his leg is getting stronger by the day. It is unlikely that Errol will ever fly and hunt very well, but will hopefully continue to recover and eventually serve as a conservation education ambassador for Madagascar’s avifauna.

-Luke Dollar