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Image © Mícheál
Casey 2007 |
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Leitrim Farmer rescues Wicklow Red Kite
A Red Kite, released in county Wicklow on the 19th of July 2007, was found
and rescued by a Leitrim Sheep farmer on the 1st of October. The
farmer, Michael Torsney, found the bird which was in a very weak
condition, at dawn on a road verge near his farm. Michael brought
the bird home and put it under a heat lamp, normally used for the care
of newborn lambs, he then contacted the telephone number on the
underside of the kite’s purple wing tag, used to identify each
individual. Michael’s course of action undoubtedly saved
the Red Kite. It was suspected that the bird may have been
poisoned. Blood and faecal samples were taken from the bird by the
Sligo Regional Veterinary Laboratory and sent for toxicology analysis
in the Proteo-Bio ecotoxicology unit of Cork Institute of Technology.
On the 19th October results from the Sligo Laboratory confirmed that
the bird had been poisoned by Alphachloralose. The bird has in the
meantime made a full recovery and was released back in County Wicklow
earlier this week.
The kite, known as Purple N, was one of 30 Red Kites that were released
in County Wicklow as part of the Red Kite Reintroduction
programme. The project, managed by the Golden Eagle Trust Ltd,
The National Parks and Wildlife Service and the Welsh Kite Trust, aims
to restore this native Irish bird to Ireland. Most birds have
remained close to the release area and have been seen feeding on
numerous silage fields and recently harvested arable fields - foraging
for worms and insects. However, Red Kite N, was more
nomadic. It was last seen in the Wicklow release area on the 27th
of July. By the 27th of August it was seen along the Smerlagh
river, 5km outside Listowel, County Kerry, over 250km away. It
stayed in this area of farmland until at least the 21st of September.
On the 26th of September it was recorded outside Kinlough, in County
Leitrim, having moved over another 270km in less than 5 days. Michael
Torsney recovered the bird outside Dromahair, a short distance away, 5
days later, on the 1st of October.
The Golden Eagle Trust Ltd (GET), who is managing the Red Kite Project,
arranged to take the bird back into captivity for rehabilitation.
It was noted the stricken bird still had crow feathers in its
talons. Alphachloralose poisoning is still a legally used poison,
widely available in Chemists and Farm supply shops. It is used to
control mice, rats, Hooded Crows and Magpies. It is likely that someone
was targeting crows with Alphachloralose and poisoned the Kite
unintentionally. The bird was transported in a heated cage to a
bird of prey specialist in Buncrana. The bird was extremely weak
at this stage, but a solution of fluids and salts delivered by feeding
tube helped revive the bird. Once returned to full health the
bird was transported back to Wicklow for release on the 15th of
October 2007. The kite was released next to the Red Kite communal
roost and has since joined the roost.
Birds of prey such as kites, buzzards and eagles are extremely prone to
poisoning, as they will readily scavenge at poisoned meat baits.
The Golden Eagle and White-tailed Eagle Project Steering teams and the
GET have been lobbying for some time to have poisoned meat baits
completely banned, due to the risk of indiscriminate poisoning of
protected birds and mammals. Non-meat baits could still be used
to control the correct target species or preferably other non-toxic
control methods could be employed.
Indeed, one of the reasons why County Wicklow was chosen as the Red
Kite release area, was because of its healthy Buzzard population
– indicating that the use of poisoned meat baits in Wicklow is
comparatively low. Buzzards have yet to establish a strong foothold in
Sligo, Leitrim or Roscommon, though they are widespread in Donegal,
Fermanagh and Monaghan. A pair of Buzzards- were reportedly shot
in French Forest Park, Roscommon, a few years ago, with the culprits
boasting in nearby Boyle that they had shot a pair of Golden Eagles
roosting in trees one evening. And though a pair of Buzzards was
confirmed breeding in Sligo this season, the risk of poisoning and
shooting remain the main threat to our native birds of prey.
One of the Wicklow Red Kites was recently shot in County Wicklow and
there was widespread anger at the incident locally. Declan O
Neill, Chairman of the Wicklow IFA said, “From a farming point of
view these birds are absolutely no threat and do no damage….We
think these are beautiful animals and the birds are an asset to the
county from a tourist point of view. The incident is a real
tragedy… we certainly condemn it”. The National
Association of Regional Game Councils (NARGC), the national body
representing the shooting community in Ireland, said it has supported
the project from the outset. Director, Des Crofton, was
“horrified” and said “he unreservedly condemned
it”.
The Golden Eagle Trust Limited said, “We are very grateful to
Michael Torsney, (the Leitrim farmer) for his decisive and quick
response to this incident- Michael undoubtedly saved this kite from a
slow death. We would also like to take this opportunity to ask all gun
clubs and landowners to exercise extreme caution while laying poison in
the open countryside. Under the Wildlife Amendment Act (2000),
the local Garda Station must be informed in writing if poison is to be
laid and poison warning notices must be erected nearby, as poisons do
pose a risk to children, pets and sheep dogs also. We would ask
everyone not to use poison meat baits – poison is indiscriminate
and one cannot tell what will eat the bait and consume the
toxins. With the huge national effort to restore Red Kites,
Golden Eagles and White-tailed Eagles, alongside an expanding Buzzard
population, we believe it is high time these poisoning regulations were
reviewed and amended. For example, while it is currently legal to
poison Hooded Crows and Magpies, it is illegal to poison Rooks and
Jackdaws, highlighting the flaws in this regulation. Birds of
prey are natural predators of young crows, magpies and foxes and it is
quite possible that the loss of so many native birds of prey has
allowed our crow population to become so numerous.
UPDATE - 9TH NOVEMBER 2007
Sadly, the Dromahair Red Kite, "Purple N", was killed
yesterday by a train in Co. Wicklow while feeding on a bird carcass on
a railway line, just three weeks after being released from rehabilitation.
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