Raptors 18/12/09

Pride of Australia winner Craig Webb, of Kettering, is quite rightly known as Tasmania's ``eagle man''. He has saved the lives of countless birds by caring for them on his 9ha property, and was last month acknowledged when he won the National Pride of Australia environment medal. Now Mr Webb is in the process of constructing the largest raptor aviary and enclosure in the southern hemisphere at his Raptor and Wildlife Refuge of Tasmania. ``There has been generous donations made towards the new construction but there is still a hefty cost,'' he said. ``The central pole will be more then 20m tall [and the netting is similar to what they use in fish farms. The design is fairly basic, but it works.''

It will be the third large avairy on his property, which he said is essential to keep up with the number of rescued animals. He has been rescuing Tasmanian wildlife for more than 12 years. He said spring was the busiest time of year for injured animals. `At the moment I have more then 10 birds in my care, they are all doing quite well,'' he said. Mr Webb also works as a concreter as well as managing and maintaining the raptor refuge. `We get a lot of school groups coming through, they are important for educating the young ones as they grow up,'' he said. ``Educating people on the magnificence of these creatures is my priority, and making people realise the risks they are at because of man's activities. ``There is no feeling like releasing one of these magnificent creatures to the wild.'' For more information on Mr Webb's efforts, go to http://www.raptorrefuge.com.au *Tasmania Sunday Mail