Crowned Eagle - The "King of the Forest"

this story will cover from then to now and next all about change how to turn losers into winners quite a long time ago we made a series around the world about endangered species and showed how the clock was ticking faster and faster and how some people were trying to turn losers into winners of the threatened subject was one that might seem safe it's one of the most formidable eagles in the world lives in Africa an icon of the forests the crowned eagle back in 1993 we filled an extraordinary saga involving a pair we'll update the story and use it to explain how Kenya's forests are changing and how one man Simon Thompson took great risks with this formidable king of the forest the crowned eagle the forest in Africa can be a dangerous place colobus monkeys are always at risk especially when one of them descends a crowned eagle must kill to live and in doing so reminds the forest of his place of power it's not exactly the kind of bird you'd expect to have around the house Simon Thompson's not talking buddies here next door des bathroom in the bush are two extraordinary neighbors a pair of crowned eagles and they've got two eggs a very rare event in captivity Simon's life is about birds of prey in our OB in Kenya he tries to help them both at his home and in the wild with the rare and spectacular crowned eagle he's managing a remarkable double act here in the forest on the edge of town he's built a tall hide it provides a special view for local Africans schoolchildren and Eagle biologists it's unique in Africa a bird's-eye view of a very dangerous and endangered bird rather surprisingly the target has stayed there and so now the two of them can watch each other at eye level across the treetops this pair of eagles will turn out to be a big influence in Simon's life over the coming months and it's not just Simon who'll be affected hyrax could be on the menu or squirrels and he seems to know it even antelope must always keep alert they never know who's watching the Eagle has other hunters to contend with this is another predator placing a snare made from sharp porcupine quills which will spring shut on the foot of the prey a little Sunni antelope is a possible victim the eagle may catch him too or a sykes monkey eye contact but up up and over the home of our pair of eagles and the monkeys squirrels antelopes and the rest of the community in this island of forests just ten miles from Nairobi city centre and its location brings problems like a quarry that's eating the heart out of the forest but some of the forest is protected the Eagle can see her nest tree and the nearby hide at least that is a safe place she can return to under the watchful eyes of Simon and his team and they're all watching each other as long as the building developments keep their distance be they small Africans houses or big new colonial style mansions the Eagles may be able to cope but to protect them Simon must know what they'll tolerate and how they live it so happens that this place is about the best possible for the understanding of a pair of ground eagles this rather older house used to be the home of Leslie Brown a pair of crowned Eagles nested at the bottom of his garden for many years and Leslie a world expert on eagles tired out the most detailed study the species its prey and its habitat ever undertaken part of the traditional hunting ground is still there but from the Eagles point of view the attitude of the neighbors has changed as the amount of forest and the wild food it supports declines so does temptation increase captain Duncan's geese indeed his dog are too close for comfort and he has clear views about Eagles and their nest now at the bottom of his gun and they're trying to improve that nest it's a nice spot for a walk or a ride the crowned eagle may be one of the most aggressive hunters in Africa but it needs quiet and privacy at times here along the edge of its home it's getting close to the limits of change and disturbance its nest is now at risk but even so now and then one of the manages to bring in a stick now this is really bad news a damaged eye you an ogre Buzzard tries the bait as usual they all watch each other particularly the two Eagles she's in for a series of shocks that will change her life Evette an operation son an x-ray the problems a hood to keep her calm in the dark no one knows that the operation will work it's a world first at the local eye hospital the jab they think the injury was due to hitting a branch or even an antelopes pointed horn the laser back to black over the familiar gardens both rich and poor to the tree and the hide in the distance but though that individual Eagle may well recover the future for the pair and their descendants is in the balance ever since Leslie Browns classic study the Eagles here have become increasingly hemmed in if it's not an expanding quarry it's more buildings or more greenhouses to grow more flowers for export to Europe in a small way it's our demand for a rose at the right price that pushes back the forest and threatens the Eagles lifestyles be there like Karen Blixen Zout of Africa which used to be just need or more of the African and they'll certainly have an impact on our wild eagles it could be enlarging the garden protecting the geese or cutting wood from the forest and now Simon's captive Eagles come into this story that is a view there's been an important development with the pair that he has had to take into captivity because of injury and the fears of local people one chick has successfully hatched a parent decorates the nest with greenery as he would in the wild Simon provides that and of course the right food that will be delicately passed on to the new arrival it's a great achievement for Simon who rescued the parents in the past and of course for the birds themselves as successful breeders back at the wild nest the question is will the female now breed successfully the pair seem to be well-adjusted and at home life in the treetops are settled down in a season of Plenty as flowers and insects proliferate it's a time of birth and preparation for the future but these matings seem to be in vain Simon will have to try and solve the problem back at his aviary the chick is much bigger now and the parents will defend it fiercely they're armed with big powerful talons he's on his way to another nest and maybe to another life where he'll be reared by wild parents the ideal way to grow up but it's sad for the pair he leaves behind so the other pair still eggless are in for a big shot in fact so is the whole community Simon's put a line up followed by a bag with a major surprise in it he has evidence that wild eagles in the right mood would accept a chick in a nest but it's a gamble and he must take some precautions one wonders who is the most surprised he's on his own with only a lightweight cage for protection they're certainly intrigued he's back again with oviya branch for protection she could easily damage him badly which would be odd thanks for trying to save her eyesight but the chick must be fed hopefully the adults will take over and then the big test without the cage adopt or attack a near disaster he's back yet again for the last time the chick will be returned to the aviary and reared there safely but it will have to be released gradually into the wild its parents never can be it may not survive on its own out there but at least there's one more crowned eagle growing up to add to the population of this rare African bird of prey it's not just the individuals that are having a difficult time it's a whole species as forests are fragmented and whittled away by what we do and how we live the king of the forest is slowly losing his kingdom it will need a big effort to stop it that was 1993 and the question is is the crowned eagle safer or not it literally depends on the forest and millions of Kenya people depend on the forest too for water these high wet mountains are called water towers so apart from the wildlife at the crowned eagle they are crucial to the whole country of Kenya these days Kenyans have got the message and are passing it on here is a human ecosystem and simple clear and relevant to the locals so don't cut plant and protect it's a national effort try to repair the damage done to the forests in the past but with an ever increasing human population Kenya's forests will become more and more important that's good news for the crown Eagles planting exotics like pine and eucalyptus which are fast growing takes the pressure off the slower growing indigenous native trees number of people growing so fast can they wait long enough to bring back the water towers to their full potential the Eagle survival may depend on it and the Buffalo down there how much will his kingdom change into the future here's a clue in the Aberdare mountains there's an unnatural straight line it's a fence 400 kilometers long build over some 20 years it surrounds the whole water tower keeping dangerous Buffalo and elephants in and people out it protects crops from raiding elephants and reduces illegal logging and it seems to work and so do the workers what a job over extreme terrain Colin Church originally behind it all explains having completed the the avid air fence which has been a 22 year marathon as all the money has been raised by by donations by citizens of Kenya and Friends of Kenya abroad we are beginning to get great interest and support from the Kenyan government they they assisted us financially as we completed the fence and now the plan is defence other large forested areas so that's good news for Kenya and its people its crowned Eagles at all its wildlife and of course for Simon Thompson who tried so hard to turn a loser into a winner the chick will be returned to the aviary and read there safely but it will have to be released gradually into the wild its parents never can be

Channel: brockinitiative

Views: 375,506

Keywords: eagle

Id: RRXwS6X_als

Length: 31min 47sec (1907 seconds)

Published: Mon Oct 10 2016