An African Harrier-Hawk that was shot down in May by a gardener in Harare has made a full recovery and will soon be released back into the wild.
Allegedly the rare bird was attempting to steal bantam chicks when the gardener took aim with a pellet gun. The bird, which has been named Beauty, was found by a member of BirdLife Zimbabwe in the suburb of Mandara and taken to self-proclaimed ‘Mother Hen’ Lesley de Beer who treated Beauty for a fractured wing. De Beer told News24 that Beauty has made a full recovery and has been transferred to the Twala Trust Animal Sanctury where he will remain until his feathers have fully grown back and he can be returned to the wild. African Harrier-Hawks are extremely rare, producing only one egg per year reported BirdLife’s Pierini. Considered something of an ‘avian wonder’ the yellow skin around their face is said to blush to reflect a change in mood. Read more: news24.com