Raptors in rescue centers: causes of admission, rehabilitation techniques and release outcomes

This paper provides an overview of 13 studies about raptor admissions in several rescue centers, located in 11 different parts of the world. Overall, the major causes of admission come from unknown reasons and trauma, constituting more than 50% off all cases. In the trauma subcategory, vehicle collisions were the most common. Jordan constituted an exception with the highest rate of admission being illegal trade and possession (58.70%), while South Africa showed poisoning as the second highest cause of admission (23%), after unknown reasons. On the other hand, orphaned young was the category with the highest rate belonging to natural causes, averaging to 20%. The final outcome of the admitted birds was also compared between the several rescue centers. The percentages of raptors released and those that died or have been euthanized doesn’t show great differences (the highest was 21% in favor of deaths, the lowest a 2.48% in favor of release), suggesting a high number of individual loss despite the rehabilitation efforts. Rehabilitation methods are compared to identify which one gives the best outcome. Results suggest that the use of drones is highly recommended but it might not be affordable by rescue centers. In this case, falconry techniques are the best option, provided that their practice is not illegal in the state. At this point, cage flight is still suggested, possibly with the use of the Peter Spitzer flight aviary. Comparison between soft and hard release states that the best practice could be species dependent and more researches should be conducted in this regard. Finally, more monitoring studies to assess the survival outcomes are advised. To do so, results propose the use of tail-mounted transmitters that avoid the possible complications that can arise with different types of devices.