Paradip, Nov. 27: Villagers today rescued an eagle of a rare breed here and handed it over to forest personnel. The bird had suffered injuries during flight.

The villagers spotted the injured bird, identified as an Indian spotted eagle, in distress, and rescued it. Later, they called forest department officials, who took the bird away for treatment.

"We spotted the bird lying below a banyan tree in the village. We had first mistaken it for an owl. We did not know that it was a scavenging species that ate meat," said Jalapada villager Madhusudan Nayak.

The eagle, which is now under the care of veterinary surgeons, is accorded threatened status with their numbers dwindling in the state at a rapid rate, said Kujang forest range officer Pratap Chandra Mohanty.

"If there had been any delay in rescuing it, the bird might have died. It had turned motionless following the injury to its wing. It could hardly move to search for food," said Mohanty.

However, he added that the bird was recovering fast under their care and it has been kept under observation.

"We expect it to be fully fit for its flight back to its habitat in the next 48 hours. It will be released back in same area where it was found," he said.

Wildlife experts said the rare Indian spotted eagle is an endangered species under the Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

Guard dead

A security guard of a beer-manufacturing unit was found dead with his head severed near the firm at Kamakshyanagar in Dhenkanal district.

The deceased has been identified as Yudhisthir Sahoo, who is a resident of Chhendipada in Angul district.