I went to a raptor rescue center yesterday with the kids. We had a group tour with some of my family and friends. I fuond it educational and inspirational. I wanted to share some of the tidbits of trivia that I learned and share about the group as well since it's non-profit. If there's any problem with the link that I include please excuse me. I'm not intending this for site plugging. This organization does a great work out of love for these birds and nothing more.
REGI Raptor Education Group, INC. recieves NO government funding and depends solely on the donations of others and volunteers.
We found out about this group when my mother found a Rough Legged Hawk last year in a corn field that my Dad was hunting. It was injured and she captured it and brought it to the facility. They removed a piece of lead shot from it's breastbone and one from it's wing. It was rehabilitated and released this past spring.
They have a Bald Eagle that is a permanant resident. She was found caught in the Exxon Valdeze (sp?) oil spill. Her wing had been injured and the oil had gotten packed into her open wounds. She was the worst injured bird found in the spill that survived. She was already a mature eagle at the time (at least 5 years old) and has been living at this facility for 15 years now. She enjoys having another companion animal in his cage with her. She allows whatever animal it is to bathe in her bath first, and eat her food before she does. She currently has a crow living with her. In the past she has had a rat and a rabbit, neither of which she has eaten or harmed in any way. She weighs about 16 lbs (the largest Eagle that has ever been recorded) and her wingspan is 6 feet wide.
The Peregrin Falcon is the fastest animal in the world. They have been clocked in a dive at 250 mph.
Vultures stomachs contain such acids and chemicals that even if they eat a carcass contaminated with a disease such as Cholera their excrement is still sterile. Scientists are still studying this and unsure of what all the chemicals even are yet.
The SCREECH that you hear on commercials or programs on TV when a Bald Eagle is displayed are from a HAWK not an Eagle. The Eagles cry sounds almost like a gobble or laugh. It sounded funny when we heard it. Not at all the "majestic" image portrayed in media.
The Group has a Satellite transmitter program under way for those Eagles who they are able to rescue and who have been exposed to West Nile Virus. This past summer they have been able to treat and release 3 Bald Eagles who had contracted the Virus. Bald Eagles are extremely susceptable to the virus. The transmitters are strapped on in the form of a backpack. The batteries are designed to last about 3 years and the straps which they attach them with are designed to biodegrade in about the same time. At about 3 years then the transmitter dies and the backpack falls off. During that time they are able to learn if the bird has any remissions with West Nile Virus, becomes a carrier of it and infects it's family group, or is able to return to normal life with no further repercussions. So far there has been nothing to indicate that there will be any further problems once an Eagle has recovered from West Nile Virus.
I hope you all find this interesting. I was excited about it and enjoyed our visit. We saw many more birds, especially raptors, then I mentioned here. Their site shows pictures of the many birds that they've rescued. They have about 500 birds go through their facility each year. ONE mouse to feed the birds costs about 75 cents each. A Juvenile Eagle eats about 20 mice a day. You can do the math. Then figure in the vetrinarian costs since they do not have one on staff and none of them are trained to be vets. If they had a vet volunteer it could cut their operating costs in half. There have been school groups or people in the area who will go out fishing, freeze the fish and bring all the caught fish to the facility to donate. They only showed us birds that were unreleasable because otherwise they do not want the birds becoming used to humans. It appears to be an applaudable effort being made and the woman who gave us our tour seemed to really enjoy talking about them and you could tell she loved the birds.