↑ The shot white-bellied harrier flew with an arrow in tow
Red Star News reporter | Pan Junwen intern reporter | Wang Yuzhen
Editor| Pan Li
In the Tuotuo River Scenic Area of Shijiazhuang, Hebei Province, a white-bellied harrier was shot through the leg by a crossbow arrow. It dragged a long arrow and still flew tenaciously. On April 19, some birdwatchers photographed the injured white-bellied harrier and posted it on social platforms, and the heart-wrenching scene aroused people's attention to the bird. From April 20 to April 22, more than 30 people, including local Forestry Bureau staff, animal rescue station professionals, volunteers, etc., tried to capture and rescue the injured bird.
On April 20, the forestry department contacted Mr. Hong, a wildlife conservation volunteer, saying that an injured white-bellied harrier needed help and hoped that the volunteers would help capture the big bird and take it to a local animal rescue station for healing.
On the afternoon of April 22, Mr. Hong told reporters that everyone had searched for a long time in the area where the white-bellied harrier was active, and there was no trace of the white-bellied harrier. After everyone decides to study and develop a new plan, they will continue to try to capture it.
The white-bellied harrier is hit by an arrow in the leg
Wounded for many days, he still flew with arrows
In the video released by local media, the right leg of the white-bellied harrier is drooping, and it cannot be retracted like the left leg when flying. Rescuers observed that there was another white-bellied harrier in that area, which looked like a "pair" with the injured white-bellied harrier. The white-bellied harrier is a bird of prey that feeds on rats, lizards, small birds, etc. Mr. Red speculated that because the white-bellied harrier was almost unable to hunt after being hit by an arrow, and had the strength to fly many days after being injured, it was likely that another white-bellied harrier had been feeding it.
The white-bellied harrier is a national second-class protected animal and is often found in the reeds and woods near the Tuotuo River. Far from the town and miles from the nearby villages, this area is inaccessible and rich in species, and is a wintering ground for many nationally protected birds, and also attracts many bird watchers to go to photograph birds.
Every year, many birds spend the winter here, including short-eared owl, long-eared owl, longitudinal-bellied owl, black-winged kite, common owls and so on. They tend to arrive in September and leave around February or March of the following year. It is now the breeding season for birds, and most of the birds that have not yet left are ready to stay in the local area to breed. Mr. Hong and his friends noticed that at present, in addition to the pair of white-bellied harriers, there are also black-winged kites, red falcons, yellow-footed falcons and so on.
Drones, net guns...
Trying various methods to save birds has not been successful
Also present at the scene were the Shijiazhuang Forestry Bureau, the Gaocheng District Natural Resources Planning Bureau, the veterinarians and responsible persons of the Shijiazhuang Zoo Rescue Base, professional bird catchers, firefighters, county and town cadres and residents, a total of about 30 people.
Mr. Gao, a staff member of the Shijiazhuang Forestry Bureau, participated in the bird rescue operation on April 21 and arrived at the scene at around 10 a.m. The lake is wide, and if people rush to look for it, they will not only be inefficient, but may also encounter danger. Rescuers first released two small drones to look down from the air and failed to find the white-bellied harrier. So Mr. Gao released a large drone, trying to use the sound made by the drone when flying to make the white-bellied harrier fly out of the dense reeds.
Near noon, the white-bellied harrier appeared in the field of vision with a long arrow. People immediately drove after them, got out of the car and ran a little closer. Two professional staff members shoot large nets with firing net guns in an attempt to catch the white-bellied harrier. However, the white-bellied harrier is very alert, and as soon as a person approaches it, it will immediately take off and quickly rush into the air, far beyond the 15-meter range of the net gun.
Whenever it flies through a forest, the white-bellied harrier disappears from people's sight. Mr. Gao originally thought that the white-bellied harrier was tired of flying under the drone and would land on the ground to rest, and then there would be a chance to catch it. Unexpectedly, this injured bird of prey was amazingly physical, hovering in the air with the air current, flying for a long time without signs of fatigue. Its feathers are close in color to the ground. After landing, as long as you hide in a place such as a tree pit, it is difficult for the human eye to distinguish.
The white-bellied harrier flies all the way west. The grassy ground was uneven, and people were one foot deep and one foot shallow, chasing breathlessly, falling down and getting up. At some point, the white-bellied harrier flew back to its original hiding place. As night fell, the big birds stopped appearing.
On 22 April, rescuers again traveled to the area where the white-bellied harrier was infested. The white-bellied harrier did not show up all morning. At about 2:40 p.m., while rescuers were searching for an island, the white-bellied harrier suddenly took off from the other side of the island and shot straight into the sky. Mr. Hong told reporters that due to the lack of suitable tools, it is temporarily difficult to capture it. After everyone decides to study and develop a new plan, they will continue to try to capture it.
Mr. Red judged that the crossbow arrows on the legs of the white-bellied harrier were most likely shot by someone for "entertainment" purposes. Local residents often do not catch wild birds for food, but mainly to meet the needs of pet ornamentation and "release".
Over the years, volunteers have saved a number of birds, including cliff swallows, cuckoos, cuckoos, night herons, sparrows, and longitudinal-bellied owls. Usually, when they see tourists hitting birds with slingshots, everyone will come forward to dissuade them, and they will also participate in the fight against poaching and dismantle the bird nets. Last year, volunteers rescued a short-eared owl in that area, which looked like it had broken its wings with a slingshot. Volunteers disinfected and sutured the bird's wounds and amputated necrotic tissue. The short-eared owl was taken out of danger of life, but also lost the ability to fly, and has been fed and cared for by animal rescue stations.
Mr. Hong said that the treatment plan of this white-bellied harrier still needs to be judged according to the specific situation after catching it. In the worst case scenario, if the tissue dies because of the long time of the injury, the bird may need to be amputated to save its life. However, the white-bellied harrier that loses one leg may not lose the ability to hunt, and there is still a possibility of returning to nature.
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