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Six. Raptor Husbandry
- Rutgers University Press
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SIX Raptor Husbandry Question 1: What is meant by “husbandry”? Answer: “Husbandry” is an old word with several meanings. Originally defined as “care of the household,” the term now usually refers to the scientific management and control of natural or agricultural resources. “Raptor husbandry” is the care, medical treatment, and management of captive raptors in facilities for captive breeding or rehabilitation, public display in zoological parks, and falconry. The amount of space an animal needs to be safely housed, breeding strategies, diet and feeding techniques , diagnosis and treatment, and exercise are all aspects of raptor husbandry. Question 2: How do zoos and rehabilitation facilities house raptors? Answer: Raptors should never be housed in small cages such as those used to confine parrots, canaries, or finches. A raptor housed this way will destroy itself against the bars of the cage in an attempt to fly off to a higher perch, or to investigate something it sees as potential prey. Raptors held for display at zoological parks or housed for captive breeding are usually free lofted, meaning they are not tethered . They are housed in very large aviaries with vertical bars on the outside to prevent escape, lined on the inside with soft netting to prevent damage to wing and tail feathers. These aviaries 114 HOW FAST CAN A FALCON DIVE? are ideally so large that raptors can fly freely back and forth to the padded perches provided. Shelters, bath pans, and ledges are standard, and the birds are checked daily to insure that they are healthy. Breeding birds are carefully observed to follow the status of eggs and young. WildCare Incorporated is an Indiana wildlife center that takes in injured and orphaned birds of prey and other animals needing rehabilitation and care. As is typical at proper facilities, they use rectangular raptor enclosures that vary in size according to the size of the bird. An enclosure for a small owl or hawk is 48 feet long, 12 feet wide, and 8 feet high. For a large eagle, the enclosure is more than twice as large at 100 feet long, 50 feet wide, and 20 feet high. If a raptor has recovered in the care of a rehabilitator after suffering an illness or injury, it cannot simply be released. A weakened raptor will not survive in the wild, and it needs to be conditioned for release by exercising for several weeks in a weathering pen, strengthening its wings and flight muscles. One type of flight pen for this purpose is L-shaped to encourage birds to make left and right turns while in flight, exercising both wings equally. There are special enclosures where appropriate raptors can hunt live mice to hone their hunting skills before being released. Question 3: What does a rehabilitator do with a sick or injured raptor? Answer: Birds may be brought to a licensed rehabilitator by Fish and Wildlife officers or by concerned citizens. The rehabilitator is often a board-certified veterinarian or works under the supervision of someone with similar qualifications. The bird to be admitted may have been injured or orphaned, or may appear ill or starving (see chapter 5 for more details about common injuries and illnesses). Starving young birds found by well-meaning people in the fall and winter and brought to a rehabilitation center are usually the surplus population that would normally die off. The resources of a habitat limit its populations, and healthy [3.237.46.120] Project MUSE (2024-03-29 01:18 GMT) RAPTOR HUSBANDRY 115 populations produce excess young (see chapter 1, question 11: How long do raptors live in the wild?). Raptor illnesses and injuries are often difficult to diagnose. In the wild, showing any sign of weakness often turns the predator into prey, so obvious signs of illness may not appear until a raptor is almost at death’s door. The first task of a rehabilitator when birds are admitted is to stop any bleeding and to treat for shock. They are given a physical examination, including eyes and ears, and blood and feces may be sampled and analyzed to check for infections, anemia, and other clues as to why the bird is debilitated. X-rays may be used to detect fractures or the presence of lead or other hazardous material. Once the problem has been diagnosed, the rehabilitator develops a treatment plan. A bird may need to stay at the facility for only a few days, or it may take weeks or months to restore it...