Pingtung eagle nest livestream shut down after chick dies

Taipei, June 3 (CNA) A wildlife livestream documenting the first days of a newly hatched crested serpent eagle chick in Pingtung County ended Tuesday after the bird died during the broadcast the previous day.

The YouTube channel "Soaring for You" began livestreaming a crested serpent eagle nest in a suburban area of the southern Taiwan county on May 13, showing a pair of adult eagles and their chick.

The livestream offered a rare glimpse into the breeding and parenting behavior of the crested serpent eagle, one of Taiwan's most iconic raptors, and often attracted more than 100 viewers at a time.

As a top predator in Taiwan's forests, its presence reflects the health of the ecosystem, said the channel, which is jointly run by the Bird Ecology Lab of National Pingtung University of Science and Technology (NPUST) and Xinchang Ecological Research Ltd.

The chick -- named "JoStar (鷲星)," by the channel host and its subscribers -- appeared healthy until Sunday morning, when it began shaking its head repeatedly and vomiting.

Believing the chick was regurgitating a pellet, the research team continued to observe it in the hope it would recover, Xinchang Ecological Research and the channel's founder Lin Hui-shan (林惠珊) told CNA on Sunday.

However, on Monday morning JoStar was still retching and died later that day while many "fans" were watching the livestream.

The NPUST Bird Ecology Lab and Xinchang said through a Facebook post on Tuesday that a preliminary necropsy found bleeding in the chick's wing membrane, eyes, esophagus, chest muscles, heart, lungs and liver.

Lin suspects the bird, which was 43 days old and weighed 845 grams, could have been be poisoned by pesticides or rodenticide.

JoStar showed no signs of illness until Sunday, suggesting the food it consumed may have been a key factor in its death, she said.

The channel host said the exact cause of death will only be confirmed after toxicology testing, which could take several months.

Lin expressed regret that viewers were unable to witness the chick fledge, which typically occurs at 60 to 70 days of age.

She added that the chick had recently been feeding on snakes, frogs, and lizards, noting that toxins from pesticides or rodenticides can accumulate up the food chain.

This was the second livestreamed crested serpent eagle nest in Taiwan, and in both cases the chicks died before fledging, according to Lin.

The NPUST Bird Ecology Lab said wildlife threats continue to occur in fields, forests, and other hard-to-observe areas, whether or not they are captured on livestreams.

Through livestreaming and monitoring, researchers can better document unusual events and use necropsies, laboratory tests, and long-term studies to determine cause of death and assess survival risks, the lab said.