We were saddened to announce recently the news of Hailey’s passing. Hailey, a White-bellied Sea Eagle, passed away at the age of 19 on 5th May 2014. He had been a public education display bird for 17 years. Below is a short review of his life at the Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden (KFBG).

On 29th May 1997, the KFBG Wild Animal Rescue Centre received him as an injured juvenile from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals after he had been attacked by several Black Kites. It was confirmed that the new arrival was a male around 2 to 3 years old. After 4 years of care, the Rescue Team attempted to release him back to the wild, but surprisingly, he got into difficulties and was once again rescued. After that, he was housed at KFBG and became one of our Animal Ambassadors, aiding our public education about Hong Kong biodiversity and problem faced by wild birds.

The White-bellied Sea Eagle is a large raptor 3-4 kg in weight and with a wingspan of up to 2 m. We were happy to have Hailey with us and he was quite an iconic exhibit at the Jim Ades Raptor Sanctuary for more than a decade. In 2013, Hailey was moved to the Raptor Roost and joined several new friends, such as the Black Kites and Crested Serpent Eagle. He was very friendly as he adapted well with other birds in the same enclosure.

Hailey reached a relatively old age and it is sad to lose him but we all understand that it is a natural part of life. We thank Hailey for giving us so much pleasure over the years, especially staff and visitors that knew him well.

Juvenile Hailey

KFBG Raptor Rehabilitation Programme

Hailey provides the symbol of rescued and rehabilitation at the Jim Ades Raptor Sanctuary

Wild Animal Rescue Centre

The Raptor Rehabilitation Programme was established in 1994, the first of its kind in Hong Kong and South China. The aim of the programme is to rehabilitate sick and injured birds and release those that are fully recovered into the wild. For those that are severely injured or imprinted, they will be housed in our Animal Displays for educational purposes. Besides the White-bellied Sea Eagle, there are Black Kites, Crested Goshawks, Crested Serpent Eagles, and a Brown Fish Owl housed in the Raptor Roost and Raptor Sanctuary.

Animal Profile

Common Name: White-bellied Sea Eagle or White-breasted Sea Eagle
Scientific Name: Haliaeetus leucogaster
Distribution: Australia and South East Asia, occasionally recorded along China’s southern coast and Hong Kong
Features: Adults are basically black and white under, and grey over the wings, with a white belly.
Diet: Carnivore, feed on fish and carrion
Major Threats: Human Disturbance of nesting pairs; habitat loss due to land development.
Status in Hong Kong: Rare species; a total of 15 active pairs were recorded in 2012.