LAHORE: Named as Regent Empress of Asia – a mammoth-sized female Mongolian golden eagle, worth over PKR 150 million, expired at East Continental Falconry & Aviary (ECFA) Pakistan two days back, said a news release, issued here on Sunday.
According to Dr Fraz Mian, a spokesperson for the falconry, sudden death of the extraordinarily giant bird was suspected of being caused by the Paramyxo virus attack. Avian veterinarians believe the virus affects the wild and domestic birds, and damages their digestive, nervous and respiratory systems, leading to their death eventually, he explained in the release.
The spokespersons said the 14 to 18 months old regal bird belonged to Aquila Crysaetos family of Accipitridae, commonly known as golden eagle. The bird was adequately capable to dive at a speed of up to 320 km/hour – glide at a speed of over 190 km/hour, with a horizontal speed of over 127 km/hour. Golden eagles are known for their agility, speediness and the strident snatching talons. At present, there are only six living sub-species of golden eagles across Eurasia, North Africa, North America and certain parts of Asia.
Dr Fraz Mian said the majestic bird held top scores of falconry genera, prominence, figure celebs and aesthetic personae to its credit. The illustrious sized 4-inch tarsus, far-flung 85-inch wing span, 27-inch outlying wing chord, excellent 3.1-inch talon, preeminent head size, far-stretching hallux claw, measured at 9.9 inches, and far pervasive claw-hook were the distinctive features that set the majestic bird aside from the contemporary.
The Regent Empress of Asia was a captive golden eagle, and the taxidermy process on the royal bird would be carried out soon, and it would be placed at the national museum, revealed the spokesperson.
Dr Fraz Mian said the East Continental Falconry is dedicated to retaining the rare species, the unusual bloodlines and the distinct heritage of eagles, falcons, hawks and harriers.
The East Continental Falconry is one of the prime falconries of the region, dreamt up and maintained by Prof Dr Aurangzeb Hafi of Gujranwala, who is a multi-disciplinary researcher of postdoctoral studies in Asia. In 2020, he was chronicled amongst ‘Top of the Top 10’ extravagantly towering silhouettes, who were shortlisted out of 1.6 million notables from over 190 countries by the ‘Impact Hallmarks [IH]’.
