The introduction of a rare eagle chick hatched at a Fife falconry to its parents had to be delayed because the youngster was constipated.
Elite Falconry in Kirkcaldy is believed to be one of the first in the world to breed a Verreaux’s eagle in captivity.
The egg was incubated artificially after another egg was broken by the inexperienced first-time parents.
The 3.5oz chick was due to be introduced to its parents for the first time yesterday, a nervous moment for all at the falconry. If the birds do not recognise the chick as their own, they could kill it within seconds.
“This is a really high risk moment because these first-time parents have never raised a baby before,” said falconer, Barry Blyther.
“They’ve never seen a baby before.
“There will be somebody standing right at the door while someone else is watching on CCTV.
“If CCTV gives an indication that there is going to be any adverse reaction at all from the parents, the person by the door will dive in and pull the chick out while it is still alive.”
Under natural conditions, a chick would be able to exist on egg yolk for the first 24 hours and would therefore not be fed much during that period by the parents. Because it was hatched some days ago, it must be well fed beforehand to ensure it does not go hungry.
To ensure the birds are disturbed as little as possible, their huge aviary has been built so they have fresh air and natural light from above, but staff cannot look in. Falconers observe them remotely by CCTV.
Mr Blyther said: “We can’t see them and they can’t see us. They are completely undisturbed. When you breed any large eagle, you want the bird to know it’s an eagle. You don’t want it to be influenced by people.”
Hatching a Verreaux’s chick has only been achieved once before in the UK, at the International Centre for Birds of Prey (ICBP) in Gloucestershire.