This is a summary of the process we follow when we first receive, and later examine, a bird of prey carcass that is sent to us.
When we first receive a bird in the post
We check to confirm the species and then label the bag with a unique identification number which follows the bird carcass and all the samples collected during post-mortem throughout all processes.
[Photo: © UKCEH]
Creating a database record
We next enter the details on the submission form into our database.
Storing the carcass
We store each bird carcass in a large, numbered sack in our -21 °C walk-in freezer, ready to be thawed out at a later date for post mortem.
Post-mortem examination
Each detailed post-mortem examination involves making a range of measurements and taking tissue samples from the bird. We update the bird's database record with the information we collect during this examination.
Storing tissue samples
We transfer tissue samples taken during post-mortem to individual glass jars that we refreeze at -21 °C for future study.