Local Police rescue injured bird of prey

WHEN the Local Police office in Mairena del Alcor received a call that a bird of prey, probably an eagle, was injured they responded immediately.

Officers travelled to the area where the bird had been seen accompanied by several men on horseback and soon sighted the bird near high voltage power lines.

They could see that it had a small snake in its beak and believed it to be a Short-toed Eagle which had possibly been injured on the power lines as it dived to catch the snake.

Although no-one in the group was a specialist in the recovery of wild animals or birds, they decided that they should attempt to rescue it and after a number of bids to get hold of it, it finally allowed itself to be caught rather than fluttering off as it had done previously.

Having covered its head and claws, the officers saw that the raptor had a wound on its right side and was taken temporarily to the Local Police Headquarters before being transferred to a specialist centre for treatment and recovery.