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Wether the Harpy Eagle maintains a breeding
popuplation in Belize remains undecided but on 5 February
2000, Rick Taylor found a Harpy Eagle, Harpia harpyja,
perched along the road about 2 miles north of Caracol
in the Maya Mountains of western Belize, the first authenticated
record for the country since 1958. Kevin
Loughlin rearranged the itinerary of a tour he was
leading to Belize to try to relocate the Harpy and,
amazingly, succeeded. On 15 March 2000, his group watched
the bird on a roadside perch for 50 minutes and later
relocated it perched about 200 meters farther along
the road (photo Kevin Loughlin). |
Once present in lowland Neotropical forests ranging from
southern Mexico to northern Argentina, Harpy Eagle (Harpia
harpyja) populations have been severely reduced throughout
much of their range due to forest fragmentation and indiscriminate
hunting by humans. Now, The Peregrine
Fund (TPF), Las
Cuevas Research Station, the Belize
Zoo, and the Belizean government, are working together
to begin restoring this majestic raptor back into its former
range.
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The Peregrine Fund, based
out of Boise, Idaho, USA is a non profit organization
dedicated to the conservation of raptors and their habitats
across the world. Having developed successful captive
breeding and release techniques for Peregrine Falcons,
California Condors, and Aplomado Falcons, TPF biologists
developed a program to begin breeding Harpy Eagles in
captivity. The objective of this program is to restore
the species back to its historical range, wherever populations
had been reduced or lost. |
Despite painstaking efforts, however,
such as building special facilities for the Harpy Eagles
in an attempt to mimic some of the conditions of this
species' natural habitat, few chicks survived to hatching
age. Biologists believed that the differences in humidity,
temperature, and sunlight between Boise, Idaho and a
Neotropical climate, were affecting the rate of productivity
among the captive breeding pairs. Realizing that in
order to achieve the highest production possible, the
eagles needed to be placed in an area more in tune with
their natural habitat, The Peregrine Fund decided to
build a captive breeding facility in Panama, Central
America. In 2001, The Peregrine Fund Panama (Fondo Peregrino
- Panama) and the Neotropical Raptor Center were born.
To date, 19 captive bred Harpy Eagles have successfully
hatched at this facility. |
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4 of these eagles, two males and two females, were recently successfully released
into the Chiquibul Forest of Belize, at the Las Cuevas
Research Station. The first two eaglets were brought
to Las Cuevas from Panama at the end of March. Upon
their arrival, the birds were placed in a specially
designed aviary, called a hack box, where they spent
3 weeks prior to their release. There, they were able
to become accustomed to the sights and sounds of the
area, thus increasing the chances that they will feel
safe and secure in their new surroundings once they
are free flying.
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At this time, volunteers were also able
to observe the birds from a blind and collect data on
their behavior. These harpies were released on the 12th
of April. The second set of birds arrived at Las Cuevas
at the end of May. They were released on the 18th of
June. |
All four harpies were released from the
hack box at approximately 6 months of age. It will take
them another 7 or 8 months before they begin hunting
on their own. Until then, they are dependent upon Peregrine
Fund volunteers for food. They are fed approximately
2 rats each per day. In order to keep these birds as
wild as possible and to prevent them from becoming accustomed
to humans, all their food is placed at night, under
the cover of darkness, while the birds are roosting
away from the feeding area. |
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Prior to their placement in the hack box, all four
harpies were fitted with two radio transmitters. This
allows Peregrine Fund volunteers and staff to track
the birds on a daily basis. Currently, all four birds
are doing wonderfully. They all have begun to explore
the surrounding forest, while continuing to return
to the hack site to feed.
Photos by Angel Muela and Marta Curti
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Read more about this project in the October
18, 2003, January 2004,
July 2004, December 2004,
June 2007, October 2007, August 2008 and December 2009 updates by Sharon Matola.
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