Zoo Ostrava The Annual Report 2009

Returning the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos)
to the Mountains of Moravskoslezske Beskydy: project year 4
Jana Kovářová
For three years, the Returning the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) to the Mountains of Moravskoslezske
Beskydy Project has been running without any dead bird within the young eagles released. The most recent
year, 2009, was marked with two cases of death at a time; nonetheless, the project as such is still underway
with success. The birds released are able of independent subsistence; what’s more, some first pre-stage of
future reproduction has even been observed - some of the young eagles released have already started to
develop their own territory.
Developments in 2009
Only two young golden eagles, a male and a female, could be acquired for the project due to especially low
numbers of eagle pairs nesting with success in Slovakia. The female Lia was reared at Bartosovice Wildlife
Rescue Centre, brooded by an adoptive female Dina, while the male Miko spent a major part of the rearing
period brooded by his adoptive mother at the wildlife rescue centre based in Zazriva, Slovakia. Both eagles
were released into the wild on 10 August together with an older female, who had arrived at Bartosovice
to finish recovery following an injury by electricity earlier in March. Additionally, a female already released
earlier in 2008, who subsequently suffered fracture of her left wing in August 2008, was re-released on
3 September. Unfortunately, the bird was found to be unable of well-balanced flight as a result of the injury
and assumed to fail survive in the wild. Therefore, this eagle was caught to be kept in captivity in future on
a permanent basis.
Additional feeding of the young birds released was and still is practiced by the project staff as with the
previous years. Thanks to the co-funding by the Czech Ministry of Environment, satellite tracking of the male
Jakub has been underway since 2008; in 2009, additional satellite transmitters were implanted into the newly
released eagles (Miko and Lia).
Summary of project activities to date
2006 – Release activities launched with four young eagles released (1 male, 3 females)
2007 – Project year 2: three young released (3 females)
2008 - Project year 3: four young released (2 males and 2 females)
2009 – Project year 4: two young released (1 male and 1 female), the male Miko died in December.
In September, the female Gabca released in 2007 was found dead due to intentional poisoning.
Losses: In 2008, the male Evzen released in the same year as a one-year-old bird died. This was an individual
included in the programme additionally and ex post. Having fallen from the nest in Slovakia in 2007, this bird
was treated for multiple fractures of both wings and probably died of a bite by a common viper.
In September 2009, the female Gabca released earlier in 2007 was found death in the territory of Sedlcany,
Central Bohemia. This eagle died as a result of eating bait poisoned using a chemical substance (carbofuran).
In December 2009, the male Miko was found in Bruntal District; this eagle was released in 2009. This individual
could probably die of congenital heart disease.
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