Raptor rehabilitation requires specialized skills and facilities, with strict criteria for determining which birds can be successfully released.
Raptors in rehabilitation experience capture stress, handling stress from veterinary procedures, and the psychological distress of confinement in relatively small spaces for mobile aerial predators. The welfare cost of rehabilitation must be weighed against the benefit of potential release. Birds with injuries incompatible with wild life face a welfare decision about long-term captivity for education versus euthanasia. Birds that become imprinted on humans during extended rehabilitation cannot be released and face indefinite captivity. Prompt, skilled veterinary intervention minimizes rehabilitation time. The welfare of birds deemed non-releasable must be protected through appropriate housing and enrichment.