A Northern Territory wedge tail eagle has been extradited to New South Wales, where it is serving the remainder of its sentence at Taronga Park Zoo’s secure care facility.
NT’s Minister for Correctional Services John Elferink said the eagle had to be transferred to Sydney where it could receive specialised services for the rare psychological issues it faces.
“It appears the wedge tail eagle is suffering a severe identity crisis as it believes it is a kite,” Mr Elferink said. “Having shared its time in prison with kites, there are fears it would fail to reintegrate into the community and it has been ruled it is no longer fit to be released into the wild.
“The jail bird has not developed the necessary skills to survive outside the prison confines,” Mr Elferink said.
for psych treatment
The eagle was held at the Darwin Correctional Centre (DCC) for about nine months. It was admitted suffering from a broken corocoid (collarbone).
Prisoners participating in the Native Fauna Program returned the eagle back to excellent physical health. The NFP allows NT prisoners to care for injured or orphaned animals, many requiring a high level of time and attention.
“It is expected the eagle will take centre stage at Taronga Park Zoo on the flight deck, being tame and easy to train,” Mr Elferink said. “The extradition process took place with the eagle travelling under escort to New South Wales.
“The Eagle is not considered to be a flight risk,” Mr Elferink said.
– media release by Danielle Lede, July 2013
Note: Mr Elferink is a member of CLA