RONDÔNIA, BRAZIL — An adult female harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja), rescued last Friday (25) in a rural area of Ariquemes, Rondônia state, died Sunday morning (27) before undergoing surgery. According to the Fire Department, the bird of prey, known in Brazil as gavião-real, had a severe open fracture in one of its wings and a generalized internal infection.

The harpy eagle weighed about 4.5 kilograms and was under the care of the Municipal Department of Environment (Sema) and a veterinary clinic in the city.

According to firefighter Lailson Silva, the animal did not survive the severity of its injuries, which already showed signs of necrosis when it was rescued.

“She was under observation and was already eating. She even showed a small sign of improvement. But, unfortunately, she was found dead in the morning. The injury was very serious and may have become infected. She also had an internal infection, and it was not possible to perform the surgery, which had been scheduled for Monday,” he explained.

Firefighters suspect that the fracture was caused by a collision. The officer said this was the second harpy eagle rescued by the Ariquemes Fire Department this year.

“The most likely cause is a collision with a vehicle, especially trucks. This type of incident is common. The first harpy eagle rescued this year, in January, was involved in a collision with a truck. In this case, there are also indications that the accident was caused by a large vehicle, because the injuries were very severe,” he said.

Amazon Agency