The Reykjavik Park and zoo has been working in collaboration with the Icelandic Institute of Natural History for over twenty years. The program is called “Villt dýr í hremmingum” in which wild animals that have been captured due to injury or illness are brought to the zoo to receive care. Most of the animals are birds of prey, such as gyrfalcons, merlins, eagles, and short-eared owls. The purpose of this program is to release them back into the wild, if possible.
If a wild animal needs care the municipality in which the animal is found is responsible for it. In Reykjavik the responsibility lies with DÝR – Reykjavik Animal Services. Wild animals that are found outside of Reykjavik are often brought to the zoo through the Animal services or the Icelandic Institute of Natural History to receive care.
Currently residing in the zoo is a female gyrfalcon (Falco rusticolus) called “Ljúfa” which means sweet one in Icelandic. She was found on in Breiðafjörður, a fjord off the coast of Iceland. Ljúfa was malnourished and had an injured wing. She was brought to the zoo in late august 2022 and weighed and only 1.1 kg, the average weight of an adult female falcon is 1.6 kg. She was also examined, and x-rays were taken of her wing. The x-rays revealed that Ljúfa had a ligament injury on her left wing. The zoos vet and consulting falcon specialist, Terézia Teriko Hegerová agreed on starting her on physical therapy once she had reached an acceptable weight. It took the falcon specialist three weeks to gain her trust to be able to train her. The behaviour used in physical therapy is tailored to her abilities and trained using positive reinforcement.
The Reykjavik Animal Services and zoo staff are now responsible for training Ljúfa in collaboration with the Institute of Natural History. The physical therapy will continue until the spring, and her condition will be assessed, and the next steps will be determined.
