The regional government has released five birds of prey in the natural area around the hermitage of the Virgin of Peñitas in Oropesa (Toledo) in an exciting event that the delegate of the Council of Toledo, Álvaro Gutiérrez, and the provincial delegate of Sustainable Development, Montse Muro, shared with the students of IES ‘Alonso de Orozco’ and with the mayor of Oropesa, Rubén Zapardiel.
The imperial eagle, the eagle owl, the tawny owl, the common kestrel and the owl began their flight in freedom this Monday, after being cured of various ailments at the Center for the Study of Iberian Raptors (CERI) in Sevilleja de la Jara, except in the case of the Grand Duke born in this magnificent center where it is also practiced with importance success in breeding in captivity.
Álvaro Gutiérrez recognized the magnificent work of protecting birds of prey carried out at the CERI of Sevilleja and thanked the work carried out by all the professionals who work in this center, recovering injured or sick animals and expanding the possibilities of survival of endangered speciesn with its commitment to captive breeding and assisted reproduction techniques.
But the Council delegate also placed emphasis on excellent information work which is carried out at CERI especially among the youngest, instilling in them the respect and value of these animals and the natural environment in which they live, since we are all responsible for their conservation.
And the release of these five raptors is one of the best examples of this fundamental training work that the center undertakes, since it offered the boys and girls who attended the event the privilege of returning them to the freedom but also the possibility of seeing in person nearby, to know their customs and their way of life and, above all, the circumstances that led each of the released birds to need professional help to return to their lives savage.
Circumstances that the center’s biologist, Pilar Cervera García, explained to all the participants in the event a few minutes before taking them back to nature.
In the case of imperial eagleHe entered CERI in June 2024 while still a chicken and unable to fly on his own, as well as being slightly malnourished and dehydrated.
He owl He arrived at the center in July 2024, after being recovered at the Infantry Academy of Toledo and transferred, with his brother, to the CERI of Sevilleja, both suffering from diarrhea caused by a parasite against which they were treated until ‘to its elimination.
He common kestrel Released, he arrived in July 2023 with clear signs of having remained in captivity and had his wing feathers cut with scissors and was thin and malnourished, which is why he had to undergo a long period of rehabilitation until it has molted its feathers and is able to fly again.
He owl He arrived in Sevilleja de la Jara in April 2024 after being collected in the historic center of Toledo at the age of 20 days, having left the nest early.
And finally, the eagle owl who for the first time flew freely in the Oropesa mountain pasture, was born in captivity in the CERI facilities; of a mother irrecoverable to the natural environment and which is intended for environmental education.
The delegate of the Council showed pride that “we are proud to have in the province of Toledo the CERI of Sevilleja de la Jara, the oldest in Spain, it was inaugurated in 1978 and has to its credit stages also important as being “the first in the world to reproduce the imperial eagle in captivity.”
As an example of the professional and constant work of the center, Álvaro Gutiérrez recalled that “in 2023 there were 1,348 animal entries registered at CERI and, as those responsible confirmed to me, this year 2024 , this figure will be exceeded. with over 1,500 entries.
