Raptor Rehab's latest newsletter chock full of good (& bad) stories...
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FEBRUARY 2024
NEWSLETTER
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BABY SEASON IS UPON US!
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PATIENT PROFILE: BALD EAGLE 24-35
BY BRIGID KUNZLER
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In today’s issue of Please Hunt and Trap Responsibly:
February 19th, we received a call from someone in Lexington reporting an eagle
down in her backyard with something caught around its legs. Avian biologist
Michael Patton and Officer Brace from Kentucky Fish and Wildlife went out to
contain the bird, finding a foothold trap around the bird’s hallux (back toe).
They successfully captured the bird and then transported him to us.
The hallux that had been caught in the trap was almost completely severed, just
barely attached by a tendon. The toe itself was necrotic, with necrosis and
infection already moving up into the rest of the foot. The bird had no use of
the foot nor any pain response. In addition, the bird was extremely emaciated,
after being unable to hunt with the trap around the toe. This bird dragged this
trap along for several days, needlessly suffering, all because someone was
irresponsible with their trapping equipment. Someone was illegally poaching, or
maybe was just incredibly negligent – we’ll never know.
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It is illegal and (in my opinion) ethically wrong to amputate a foot or leg of
a wild bird. They cannot hunt for themselves and will not be able to perch for
any length of time without causing severe pain in the remaining foot. So,
unfortunately, all we could do for this poor bird was end his suffering. As it
is breeding season for Bald Eagles, this adult bird might have had a mate with
eggs, whose chances of survival just dropped significantly.
And the cherry on top – we did a post-mortem x-ray of the bird and found
birdshot in the pelvis and right wing. No entrance wounds were found. We
suspect this bird had survived being intentionally shot by one ignorant person,
only to ultimately be unintentionally brought down by another.
As a friendly reminder, violations of the Bald and Golden Eagle Protection Act
can result in fines of up to $100,000 and/or imprisonment for up to one year.
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WHY I VOLUNTEER
by jordan stivers
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I started volunteering at RROKI in June of 2023 and was a little surprised at
my family and friends' reactions. When I told them I was learning to “glove a
raptor” they were supportive, no issues at all. I was the man!
But when I explained that I was also scraping bird poop, washing filthy crates,
filling yuck buckets with half-rotten scrap food, collecting barfed-up casts,
gutting rodents for raptor food and that a barn owl gifted me with 3 bloody
punctures on my scalp, the responses became more varied and could be
categorized into three types:
1) Still supportive - “Oh, that is so cool. I’m glad you’re taking care of
nature, even if it is hard work”.
2) Not as supportive but not ready to have me committed - “Well if that’s what
you want to do.”
3) All support disappeared; I should be committed - “Why do you want to do
that? You’re retired, you should be taking it easy!”
It is challenging, smelly, dirty work. The raptors don’t show appreciation. We
are not paid a salary. There is a ton of information to learn, forget, and
relearn. So, why do I do it?
I believe my driving reason is my love of natural creation. We are surrounded
by miracles that we most often don’t even recognize. I thought I knew how
beautiful a red-tailed hawk was until I was a few feet from Valkyrie and
watched her spread her tail feathers as if she were waiting for me to tell her
how pretty she was. I’ve never seen a barn owl in the wild, and even though
Nova spreads her wings and looks menacing when I am casting and scrapping, she
is stunningly pretty. I have rarely seen an American kestrel in the wild. Since
volunteering at RROKI, I’m in an enclosure with them every week! Vultures were
always a pariah to me even though I appreciated their role in the food chain.
But now I know how beautiful their feathers are and that they are very curious
creatures! I have released several red-tailed hawks, great-horned owls, and
Eastern screech owls, something I would have never done without volunteering at
RROKI.
I haven’t worked an entire yearly cycle, so I still have chicks to experience.
Listening to other volunteers talk about chicks tells me that I have yet
another miracle to experience as the chicks grow, learn to kill their food, and
be released into the wild.
That is why I volunteer!
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RROKI RESCUES: VINES & RTH 24-24
BY ASHLEY DUNN
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We received a phone call from a concerned citizen on Saturday 2/3/24 about a
hawk who somehow tangled itself in a tree and was hanging by some vines. The
bird was dangling and unable to free itself and was about 15-20 feet off the
ground. The man said he had a ladder we could use, and we told him we would try
to find a volunteer to send out and would call him back shortly.
Normally when it comes to birds high up in trees we can’t always go and rescue
them. We ended up calling the Louisville Fire dept and asked if they would be
able to send a truck out so we could reach the bird more easily. They told us
they would need to find a unit and would let us know. We also called one of our
volunteers who works at Cave Hill Cemetery to see if they had an arborist who
would be willing to help as well.
Once we had a rough plan, Jordan(volunteer) and I gathered our gear and headed
to the location of the bird. We brought a crate for the bird, gloves, a towel,
and a net.
Once we arrived the fire dept was already there and assessing the situation. I
went to look at the bird to see the condition and realized not only was he
dangling from the vines, but the bird also had blood all over its chest, which
I assumed was an injury to the bird's crop. The crop on a bird is part of the
digestive tract, near the throat. It has a thin wall and is where their food is
stored while it is being digested. Whatever is indigestible is thrown back up
into what is called a casting.
The arborist showed up shortly after but wasn’t able to do much since the fire
dept seemed to have it under control. Once they had their truck backed up, they
pulled out a bunch of ladders and made a makeshift scaffolding structure for
someone to climb up and rescue the bird.
That someone happened to be me. No one was jumping to go rescue so I just asked
are you good with me climbing the ladder? Sergeant Rodgers said we won’t let
you fall. So that was my cue. Once I was as far up as I could go, I half stood
up and was able to thankfully easily grab the bird's legs. Once I had his legs
secured, I felt around to see how he was hanging from the vines. They had
perfectly wrapped around the trunk of the body without wrapping around the
bird's wings. I then realized I was going to need something to cut the vines
because I was unable to simply untangle the bird. Once I had scissors I quickly
and safely cut them away and freed the hawk.
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Once I made it back down to the ground safely my legs were a little shaky. I
don’t necessarily love heights, but I will do what I have to, to rescue a
Raptor.
Once back to the rehab we did our usual intake and once over to check for major
wounds or broken bones. As I suspected the hawk did have a crop injury that was
quite severe. Because we have an amazing vet, we were able to get the bird in
for surgery within 2 hours of rescuing him. The bird will be on antibiotics and
will be with us for a while in hopes of being released back into the wild.
Special Thank You to: Dr. Missy Jewell at All Pets Veterinary Center, Captain
Chad Rodgers, Sgt. Joe Berrow, Sgt. Carey McLaughlin, and FF Lee Miles.
Arborist Roger Martin.
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BIRD DAD JOKE OF THE MONTH
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Animal Control: What were you thinking?
Me: Releasing birds at a wedding is romantic!
Animal Control: Sir, you released Ostriches!
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Eastern Screech Owl Chick
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Great Horned Owl Chick
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WHAT TO DO IF YOU FIND A BABY BIRD
BY TIFFANY DICKS
Under the Federal Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918 and state law, it is
ILLEGAL for any person to injure or possess an indigenous bird, such as
raptors. Raptor Rehabilitation of KY, Inc., is licensed to rehabilitate injured
birds by the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Kentucky Department of Fish
and Wildlife Resources. An injured bird requires IMMEDIATE specialized care and
any delay reduces the bird's chance for recovery. Most veterinarians do not
have the time, special facilities, or the practical experience to handle
injured birds.
When birds leave the nest for the first time (fledge), they often do not have
full flight capability, and spend two or three weeks on or near the ground,
attended by their parents. Please be a responsible pet owner and consider
keeping your pet indoors during the sensitive nesting and fledging time.
If the bird you find is NOT injured:
1. Be certain the area is free of any animal that can cause harm. Especially,
keep cats and dogs away from the nest site.
2. If you find a bird on the ground, carefully return it to the nest. It is a
MYTH that parents won't care for a baby bird once it has been touched by
humans. Most birds do not have a sense of smell.
3. If the original nest is unsafe or destroyed, place the bird in a small
basket. Bungee, zip tie, or use rope to tie the basket to the tree near the
nest site, up as high as you can, out of direct sunlight. If you can't find a
basket, use a margarine dish, but be sure to punch drainage holes in the bottom.
4. It is a good idea to keep an eye on the baby bird from a discreet distance.
If the parents do not return in about 2 hours, call your local DNR or wildlife
rehabilitation center for help.
If the bird you find IS injured:
1. Prepare a small cardboard box by punching ventilation holes in the sides and
top.
2. Gently place the bird on a towel and put the box in a warm, dry, quiet area.
3. DO NOT GIVE THE BIRD ANY FOOD OR WATER! Since the internal damage is
unknown, it could kill the bird. Imagine finding a human hit by a car and
trying to feed them a cheeseburger and a coke.
4. Call your nearest DNR office or wildlife rehabilitation center.
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BALD EAGLE FLIGHT CAMPAIGN
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Here at RROKI, we rehabilitate 450-500 birds of prey each year. Some of these
birds are very large raptor species that require a very tall and long flight
enclosure to finish their rehabilitation. The last stage of rehabilitation
involves agility and endurance training to prepare them for release. Currently,
RROKI has 10 large flight enclosures with one of them being a flight designed
for rehabilitating large birds like the Bald Eagle, Osprey, and Turkey Vulture.
Due to the recent major increase of intakes, RROKI now has to expand to
accommodate the larger species coming in for rehabilitation. Historically,
RROKI has averaged 6-8 sick or injured Bald Eagles a year. As the population of
Bald Eagles increases in the state of Kentucky, we are expecting to intake
10-13 annually. We have reached a point where a second large flight enclosure
designed specifically for large species is necessary.
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Due to the dramatic increase in the cost of lumber and building supplies in
recent years, we are asking for support from the public in financing this new
enclosure. We are a 501c(3) nonprofit organization and all donations are tax
deductible. Any and all assistance in building this new enclosure will be
greatly appreciated. We are estimating that the total cost of this new
enclosure will be $50,000. If you would like to make a donation towards the
Flight Campaign, please visit our website www.raptorrehab.org and type “Flight
Campaign” in the notes. Thank you for the continued support in our mission here
at RROKI.
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Here at RROKI we specialize in Birds of Prey Only.
If you find a Songbird, Mammal, or Waterfowl please use this link to find the
right rehabber near you.
https://app.fw.ky.gov/rehabilitatorNew/
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WANT TO VOLUNTEER?
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You can download the form here.
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WOULD YOU LIKE TO DONATE?
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You can send donations to the address below:
Raptor Rehabilitation of Kentucky, Inc.
P.O. Box 206186
Louisville, KY 40250-6186
We also have an amazon wishlist if you prefer to donate items. We are running
low on our Carnivore Diet currently. You can order it here: Critical Care
Carnivore
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WOULD YOU LIKE A TOUR?
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Please email us at raptorrehabofkentucky@xxxxxxxxx
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ADOPT A RAPTOR
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Would you like to adopt one of our birds?
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NEED A GIFT?
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Check out our ETSY shop.
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| Visit Our Site |
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Let's be buddies
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| This email was sent to you by Raptor Rehabilitation of Kentucky Inc. 1025
Southern Ave
Louisville, KY 40218
United States
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