RAPTOR CENTERS Raptors are fierce birds of prey Their large eyes help them spot fish or small animals from afar They grip and kill their prey with their strong feet and sharp talons Their hooked beaks help them tear off small chunks of flesh they can swallow
But raptors do have accidents Sometimes they get injured so badly they need to be rescued That is when the veterinarians and volunteers at raptor centers are called to action A vet inspects and treats a barn owl Tyto alba with a broken wing at the Wildlife Rehabilitation Rescue Centre in Stara Zagora Bulgaria
INJURIES Raptors and their environment are much healthier today than they were 50 years ago Air and water pollution are greatly reduced Laws today forbid the use of many poisons and pesticides such as DDT that were once commonplace A peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus nest shows the effects of DDT on bird eggs The too thin eggshells easily cracked under the parent's weight DDT was banned in 1972 XTREME FACT Healthy raptors healthy world means that when raptor populations are healthy it's a good sign that the environment also is healthy
However many hazards continue to threaten raptors For example hundreds of bald eagles and other raptors each year are sickened after eating carrion contaminated with lead In the United States alone hunters using lead ammunition release 8 000 to 10 000 tons 7 257 to 9 072 metric tons of the toxin into the environment each year A bald eagle Haliaeetus leucocephalus with lead poisoning at a raptor rescue site It can no longer lift itself up A bald eagle's X ray shows lead shot in the raptor's stomach Untreated an eagle will die within 2 to 3 weeks after swallowing lead
