Large birds as status symbols
Large migratory birds such as eagles, vultures, storks and pelicans that were shot and survived often end up captive as pets or exhibits in private homes, bird collections or dubious zoos. There, they are considered status symbols of sorts. Other large birds such as cranes or pelicans also have a considerable "circle of lovers" throughout the country. The conditions under which they are kept are often cruel and brutal: eagle buzzards and peregrine falcons kept in cages that are far too small, short-toed snake eagles tethered to car roofs in the middle of the city or lesser spotted eagles that have had their wings cut off - our teams have documented almost every conceivable husbandry situation.
The birds concerned are those that are deliberately shot during migration. The majority of the animals do not survive the hail of bullets - but those that do make it land in human hands as live exhibits. Especially in spring, when these animals are on their way back to their breeding grounds, shooting almost always means the end of their journey and is synonymous with one fewer breeding pairs in the breeding grounds. In the case of particularly endangered species such as the lesser spotted eagle or small populations, every individual counts
During our operations in Lebanon, CABS teams have documented numerous species being held captive that are the focus of nature and species conservation in their breeding areas. Cranes, white storks, pelicans, honey buzzards, griffon vultures, Egyptian vultures, lesser spotted and short-toed eagles are just a few examples of birds illegally taken from the wild that have ended up in cages and aviaries this way. Many of these birds have severe injuries that cannot heal properly without proper treatment.
In individual cases, we have already succeeded in rescuing such birds from illegal captivity and, if their state of health permitted, releasing them back into the wild. In 2022, for example, three adult Egyptian Vultures, were rescued by CABS staff and its Lebanese partner associations from a private zoo in the south of Lebanon. The birds were subsequently brought to Prague because they were not fit for release back into the wild due to incorrectly healed injuries. There they are developing splendidly as part of an international conservation breeding programme for the globally threatened species - and just recently we were informed that one of the birds has paired up this year (2023).