Magyari Márta szerk.: A Debreceni Déri Múzeum Évkönyve 2010 (2011)

TERMÉSZETTUDOMÁNY - Dudás Miklós: Hatóságilag lefoglalt parlagi sasok (Aquila heliaca) visszavadítása a Hortobágyon

18 DUDÁS MIKLÓS DUDÁS M-SÁNDORI. 1994 Freilassung beschlognahmter Kaiseradler Aquila heliaca in Ungar. Limicola ECSEDIZ. (SZERK.) 2004 A Hortobágy madárvilága. Winter Fair kiadó. p. 220-222. FINTHAi. 1976 Ritkább ragadozómadarak a Hortobágyon 1873-ban. Aquila 82. p. 232. 1976 Sasok a Hortobágyon. Természetvilága 107(11)., p. 501-502. HARASZTHYL. (SZERK.) 1984 Magyarország fészkelő madarai. Natura Kiadó, Budapest, p 247. KOVÁCS A. (SZERK.) 2005 Parlagi sas-védelmi, kezelési javaslatok. MMTE. Budapest. Miklós Dudás Repatriation of seizured Imperial Eagles (Aquila heliaca) in the Hortobágy In Kazakhstan, 3-4 weeks old eaglets were taken out of their eyrie supposedly by Czech citizens, running contraband, trying to sell them in Germany. The German conservation authorities seizured all the 11 eaglets already at the border. In a short period of time with the cooperation of the Deutche Naturshutz Bund, the European Crime Group and WWF Hungary, the birds were taken the Hortobágy National Park's Górési Ragadozó Madár Repatriáló Állomás. The fully grown, fledged birds were transported to Hungary on the 21 October 1992. by MALÉV Hungarian Airline free of charge. The task was to prepare these strictly protected birds used to human environment for living in the wild. Among others, the key to success is the existence of Souslik (Spermophylus citellus) their prey, in the highest population and density in the given area. Another precondition is to have them avoid human contact during some days subsequent to their being freed. Therefore local farmers were trained how to act upon having encountered them. Individual identification of the eagles is ensured by their feathers painted red on different body parts as well as the tag with a telephone number on their rings. For the freed eagles the first ten days turned to be the most critical period, since during this time they had to learn where to find the artificial feeding sites and even how to fly properly. Their contact with wild eagles inhabiting the region supported their behavior to escape from humans. The length and density of this learning process varied with each freed bird. The observations show that a prolonged process is needed to acquire the necessary experience, which may take up to some years for each bird to, upon reaching maturity, have skills identical to those of the birds fletched in natural conditions.