Raptor rehabilitation requires specialized skills, appropriate housing, and careful management of human imprinting to maximize the chances of successful release and long-term welfare.
Raptors present unique rehabilitation challenges because their welfare depends on wild behavioral competence - a rehabilitated hawk that cannot hunt is not truly rehabilitated. The welfare goals are therefore more demanding than simple recovery: the bird must be physically fit, behaviorally wild, appropriately fearful of humans, and competent in prey detection and capture. Meeting these goals requires specialized facilities and long-term investment in each individual.