Raptor rehabilitation centres care for birds of prey injured through persecution, collision, poisoning and other threats, playing a vital conservation and welfare role across the UK and globally.
Raptors are highly sensitive to stress, requiring skilled handling, species-appropriate housing and carefully managed recovery environments. Imprinting — where young birds bond to humans — is a major welfare and conservation concern, as imprinted birds cannot be released. High-welfare centres use species-appropriate protocols, avoid unnecessary human contact during recovery and conduct rigorous flight assessments before release. Post-release monitoring via satellite tags provides vital welfare and conservation data.