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'Poisoned' red kite will go free | 'Poisoned' red kite will go free |
(about 3 hours later) | |
A rare bird of prey which experts suspect may have been poisoned is to be released back into the wild. | A rare bird of prey which experts suspect may have been poisoned is to be released back into the wild. |
The red kite has been nursed back to health by wildlife specialists after being found in a distressed state under a window in Dunblane. | The red kite has been nursed back to health by wildlife specialists after being found in a distressed state under a window in Dunblane. |
Toxicology results on the young bird have come back inconclusive. | Toxicology results on the young bird have come back inconclusive. |
The fledgling has made a full recovery and will be fitted with a radio transmitter before being set free from a feeding station near Doune. | The fledgling has made a full recovery and will be fitted with a radio transmitter before being set free from a feeding station near Doune. |
It was looked after at the Scottish SPCA's wildlife centre in Dunfermline. | It was looked after at the Scottish SPCA's wildlife centre in Dunfermline. |
Touch and go | Touch and go |
Doreen Graham, from the charity, said the red kite had responded well to the treatment. | Doreen Graham, from the charity, said the red kite had responded well to the treatment. |
"We rehydrated it to flush any toxins out and it was given a special compound to absorb any toxins from the stomach," she said. | "We rehydrated it to flush any toxins out and it was given a special compound to absorb any toxins from the stomach," she said. |
"It was touch and go for a wee while, because it didn't want to feed, but it has really come on leaps and bounds. | "It was touch and go for a wee while, because it didn't want to feed, but it has really come on leaps and bounds. |
We're delighted that this bird is going to be ok and can hopefully go on and breed next year RSPB spokesman | We're delighted that this bird is going to be ok and can hopefully go on and breed next year RSPB spokesman |
"We are really excited to see it released because it is the first red kite ever cared for by the Scottish SPCA." | "We are really excited to see it released because it is the first red kite ever cared for by the Scottish SPCA." |
Ms Graham said it was still not clear what had happened to the bird. | Ms Graham said it was still not clear what had happened to the bird. |
She added: "Even though the toxicology results have proved inconclusive, we still have our concerns about what caused it to fly into the window." | She added: "Even though the toxicology results have proved inconclusive, we still have our concerns about what caused it to fly into the window." |
Specialist wildlife vet Romain Pizzi said he was convinced the bird had eaten a rat which had been poisoned. | Specialist wildlife vet Romain Pizzi said he was convinced the bird had eaten a rat which had been poisoned. |
Rat poison | Rat poison |
He told the BBC Scotland news website: "It was in good body condition and had been eating well. | He told the BBC Scotland news website: "It was in good body condition and had been eating well. |
"It had dark black, thin diarrhoea which indicated partially ingested rat poison, which is an anti-coagulant. | "It had dark black, thin diarrhoea which indicated partially ingested rat poison, which is an anti-coagulant. |
"Even if it had hit a window, it would not cause bleeding in its intestines." | "Even if it had hit a window, it would not cause bleeding in its intestines." |
Mr Pizzi added that it was unlikely to have been poisoned deliberately, as red kites are scavengers which feed on dead animals. | |
The number of red kites has been steadily increasing | The number of red kites has been steadily increasing |
The red kite was a chick which fledged last year from a breeding pair as part of a program to reintroduce the species into central Scotland. | The red kite was a chick which fledged last year from a breeding pair as part of a program to reintroduce the species into central Scotland. |
Its progress will be monitored by experts from the RSPB through the radio transmitter. | Its progress will be monitored by experts from the RSPB through the radio transmitter. |
A spokesman said: "In the short term, this bird has been ill and it will let us keep an eye on it. | A spokesman said: "In the short term, this bird has been ill and it will let us keep an eye on it. |
"In the longer term, it will also let us see the spread of the bird, where they take on new territories, what they're eating. | "In the longer term, it will also let us see the spread of the bird, where they take on new territories, what they're eating. |
"We're delighted that this bird is going to be okay and can hopefully go on and breed next year." | |
He added that central Scotland's red kite population did not seem to be as badly affected by wildlife crime than other parts of the country. | He added that central Scotland's red kite population did not seem to be as badly affected by wildlife crime than other parts of the country. |
Numbers of the protected species have been steadily increasing for more than a decade. | Numbers of the protected species have been steadily increasing for more than a decade. |
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