Evidence-based best practices in raptor rehabilitation for welfare-optimal outcomes.
Raptor rehabilitation involves managing the tension between the welfare harm of captivity — high stress from human proximity — and the welfare goal of returning animals to wild life. Every handling event causes acute stress in raptors that are not habituated to humans, meaning all procedures must be minimized and efficiently performed. The decision to release or place in long-term captivity is a welfare decision of major consequence: a compromised raptor released to the wild may survive briefly before dying from hunting failure, while one kept indefinitely may experience chronic captivity stress. Honest release fitness assessment, including extended flight testing, is the most welfare-protective approach.