Endangered imperial eagle shot down in Ankara

ISTANBUL

An eastern imperial eagle, which was found injured in Bulgaria last year and released into nature after being treated, was found shot dead in Turkey’s capital city of Ankara.

Ringed with an electronic tracking system by a Bulgarian team, the bird was found in Ankara’s Temeller area by expert biologist Cansu Özcan and the Dev Documentary team researching imperial eagles in Anatolia.

“During our examination, a large number of pellets were found in many parts of the bird’s body, such as her wing, chest, abdominal cavity,” Özcan said, noting that imperial eagles are endangered species on a global scale.

The population of imperial eagles in Turkey is between 100-150 pairs, according to the expert.

Stressing that imperial eagles and all other predatory bird species are actually farmer-friendly, Özcan said that this creature feeds on rodent species such as snakes and mice.

“However, the population of rodent species is increasing as they shoot these birds,” she noted.