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A secondary goal of the Raptor Chapter is the recovery of injured raptors and the medical and physical treatment of these birds for release to the wild. Volunteers are given an opportunity to put compassion into practice. Birds of prey are "finely-tuned instruments" and can be grounded by something as simple as feather breakage. Collisions with vehicles, wire or buildings frequently cause injury and trauma. Shooting, trapping and capture as nestlings also endanger many birds. The Raptor Chapter believes that care for these human-induced injuries is our responsibility.
The field of raptor biomedicine is constantly evolving. New techniques are being developed and practiced at specialized raptor clinics, one of which is University of Minnesota's Gabbert Raptor Center at the St. Paul campus. Many of the procedures, standards of care for injured avian patients, and reconditioning techniques practiced at our Indiana facility are modeled after Dr. Pat Redig's protocol in Minnesota. This fine facility is unlike any in North America for disseminating information concerning medical management of raptors.
