She teaches Icelanders falconry
Local conservationists found the injured predator in nature and transported it to the ZOO in Reykjavík. However, the zoo did not have experience working with wild birds of prey, so it asked for help from the Icelandic Institute of Natural Sciences, where Terézia Hegerová from the Institute of Animal Husbandry, Faculty of Agrobiology of Food Resources of SUA, had just completed an Erasmus+ internship.
Together with the head of the workplace, she checked the condition of the falcon. X-ray showed more accurate diagnostic information. "The causes of the injury could have been different - a collision with a car, a collision with a fence, etc. Such injuries due to damage to the joint require long-term treatment with physical therapy," said Terézia Hegerová, who, in addition to her studies and research work at SUA, has been training birds of prey for a long time - falconry. Her experience and skills were more than welcome in Iceland.
Terézia also undertook the exercise and rehabilitation of the injured falcon. She called him Ljúfa, which translates as "Sweet", and in addition to her work at the institute, she took care of him until the end of her stay in Iceland. Her professional advice did not end even after arriving in Slovakia. With regular reports via video conference, she continues to advise the specialists of the rehabilitation station, who continue the treatment of the falcon and physiotherapy to support the joints.
Time will tell what will happen next with the falcon. "Even after four months, he does not fully use the injured wing. In the event that he will be permanently handicapped, it is necessary to ensure that he can live a full life in a rehabilitation center," says T. Hegerová. In May of this year, Terézia is planning another stay in Iceland. The specialist staff of the rehabilitation station in the field of physiotherapy and welfare of birds of prey will be involved. The peregrine falcon population in Iceland consists of about four hundred breeding pairs. It is a small and vulnerable population, saving each individual is therefore of great importance.
