Raptor Rehabilitation and Release Welfare

Birds of prey are among the most common casualties in wildlife rehabilitation centres, arriving with injuries from road collisions, illegal persecution, and secondary poisoning — and their successful rehabilitation and release requires specialised expertise.

Key Facts

Raptors are disproportionately represented in wildlife casualty admissions relative to their population size due to collision and persecution risk
Lead poisoning from ingesting shot prey is a major cause of raptor admission, particularly in red kites, white-tailed eagles, and buzzards
Raptors require large flight aviaries and careful prey-type feeding during rehabilitation to maintain hunting fitness for release
Release success rates vary by species and injury type; birds with permanent wing or eye damage cannot be released and require long-term sanctuary care
Satellite tagging of released raptors has improved understanding of release site selection and post-release survival

Welfare Considerations

Raptor rehabilitation welfare requires balancing the welfare of individual birds with the conservation value of successful release. High-welfare rehabilitation minimises human imprinting, maintains hunting behaviour through appropriate prey, uses the largest possible flight space, and makes evidence-based release decisions. Long-term care of non-releasable raptors presents specific welfare challenges around maintaining natural behaviour in permanently captive birds of prey.

What You Can Do

Support raptor rehabilitation centres through donation or volunteering, particularly those with large flight aviaries
Report injured raptors to licensed rehabilitation centres rather than attempting home care
Advocate for non-toxic ammunition requirements to reduce lead poisoning admissions in raptor rehabilitation
Donate to organisations monitoring released raptors using satellite tracking to improve rehabilitation and release protocols