The Alaska Raptor Center is a

raptor rehabilitation Raptor rehabilitation is a field of veterinary medicine dealing with care for sick or injured birds of prey, with the goal of returning them to the wild. Since raptors are highly specialized predatory birds, special skills, facilities, equipment, ve ...

center in

Sitka russian: Ситка , native_name_lang = tli , settlement_type = Consolidated city-borough , image_skyline = File:Sitka 84 Elev 135.jpg , image_caption = Downtown Sitka in 1984 , image_size ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...

. Located on a 17–acre campus bordering the

Tongass National Forest The Tongass National Forest () in Southeast Alaska is the largest U.S. National Forest at . Most of its area is temperate rain forest and is remote enough to be home to many species of endangered and rare flora and fauna. The Tongass, which i ...

and the Indian River. The mission of the Alaska Raptor Center is to promote and enhance wild populations of raptors and other avian species through rehabilitation, education and research. Although the main patients are raptors, especially

bald eagle The bald eagle (''Haliaeetus leucocephalus'') is a bird of prey found in North America. A sea eagle, it has two known subspecies and forms a species pair with the white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla''), which occupies the same niche as ...

s, the center will take any bird in need of care. The Alaska Raptor Center receives between 100–200 birds a year, with many suffering from some sort of trauma. They have treated birds with injuries from electrocution, collisions, gunshot wounds, leg hold traps, starvation, disease and

lead poisoning Lead poisoning, also known as plumbism and saturnism, is a type of metal poisoning caused by lead in the body. The brain is the most sensitive. Symptoms may include abdominal pain, constipation, headaches, irritability, memory problems, inferti ...

. Many of their patients come from outside of Sitka and are flown in via Alaska Airlines or smaller regional airlines. The birds travel in dog kennels that have been covered to block out light. This helps to keep the birds calm when traveling. When an eagle is healthy enough, they will be moved into the Walter and Suzanne Scott Foundation Bald Eagle Flight Training Center. This is a large indoor area where they are able to fly, bathe and interact with other eagles until it is time for them to be released. Birds that are no longer able to live outside of human care are sent to zoos or wildlife centers throughout the United States to serve as ambassadors for their species. Some of the birds that sustained injuries that did not allow them to be released have found a permanent home at the Alaska Raptor Center. More than 40,000 visitors annually come to see the two dozen resident eagles, hawks, owls, falcons and

raven A raven is any of several larger-bodied bird species of the genus ''Corvus''. These species do not form a single taxonomic group within the genus. There is no consistent distinction between "crows" and "ravens", common names which are assigned t ...

s, who assist in the center's secondary function, public education. The most well-known resident is Volta, a bald eagle who suffered permanent damage after a 1992 collision with power lines. Volta has been retired from doing on-glove education programs and is now living with three other eagles in the Bald Eagle Habitat off the back deck of the Raptor Center. In 2014 the center expanded their programming to

Ketchikan, Alaska Ketchikan ( ; tli, Kichx̱áan) is a city in and the borough seat of the Ketchikan Gateway Borough of Alaska. It is the state's southeasternmost major settlement. Downtown Ketchikan is a National Historic District. With a population at the 202 ...

. They offer educational programming to visitors from May through September, housing bald eagles, hawks, owls and falcons. The center in Sitka is open to the public and offers daily tours. The Alaska Raptor Center is a private,

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

. Image:Raptor center (js) 4.jpg, Volta, a bald eagle in 2000 Image:Raptor center (js) 3.jpg, A juvenile bald eagle Image:Raptor center (js) 2.jpg, Gilbert, a raven Image:Raptor center (js) 1.jpg, Asio, a

short-eared owl The short-eared owl (''Asio flammeus'') is a widespread grassland species in the family Strigidae. Owls belonging to genus ''Asio'' are known as the eared owls, as they have tufts of feathers resembling mammalian ears. These "ear" tufts may or ...

References

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External links

* {{Official website, https://alaskaraptor.org/ 1980 establishments in Alaska Bird health Buildings and structures in Sitka, Alaska Education in Sitka, Alaska Nature centers in Alaska Ornithological organizations in the United States Raptor organizations Scientific organizations established in 1980 Tourist attractions in Sitka, Alaska Wildlife rehabilitation and conservation centers

See also

References

External links