A wedge-tailed eagle has been given a second chance at life thanks to Wing's Wildlife Park.
The eagle, affectionately known as Farrah, caught its foot in an illegal rabbit trap in November and is thought to have flown injured, with the trap still attached, for over a week.
Once caught, there were fears the eagle may have had to be euthanised as one of its four talons on one foot had to be amputated, meaning it could no longer hunt prey.
Fortunately, however, Farrah will live out his days at the Gunns Plains sanctuary which has a purpose built wedge-tailed eagle enclosure.
Wildlife carer John Wilkes looked after Farrah as it recovered from the amputation.
"He was a very nice-natured bird, it was a pleasure to look after him," Mr Wilkes said.
"His wound healed very well and we kept that clean, and he then had a period of recuperation with me.
"I think he'll go very, very well at Wing's."
Park manager Gena Cantwell said Farrah will spend the rest of his life at the Gunns Plains sanctuary.
"It needed to be figured out whether he was fit enough to go back into the wild, or if he needed to be euthanised," Mrs Cantwell said.
"[The Department of Wildlife] came to us and asked if we would be happy for him to come and live in our purpose built enclosure, and we were more than happy to take him on.
"He will stay here for the rest of his life. Losing that back talon, he can still fly and he can still perch, but it really restricts his ability to hunt and kill.
"If [the enclosure] wasn't here there is a fair chance he would have been euthanised."
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Mrs Cantwell said although it was tragic Farrah had been through such an experience, housing him at Wing's will provide an opportunity to educate the public about the human impact on wildlife.
Tasmanian wedge-tailed eagles are an endemic and endangered species, and there are thought to be less than 1000 left in the wild.
Setting snares and steel-jawed traps is illegal in Tasmania, and those responsible could face fines of up to $16,800 or 12 months imprisonment.
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