However, caretakers cannot predict the bird’s subsequent effective survival rate in the wild because this can only be verified retrospectively. In most cases, a hospitalized bird is released after regaining weight and wildness. The longer the time of recovery, the bigger is the chance that the area (which often overlaps with that of the rescue) may have been occupied by other competitors. This can be a true challenge for different factors, the first of which is how long a bird has been hospitalized. The stress of confinement and rehabilitation is not the only issue for a rescued raptor: After release, it must also cope with the new area of releasement and, hopefully, survive. However, raptors’ rescue and protection are extremely desirable. For a rehabilitation center, taking care of animals belonging to a high trophic position such as raptors can be more difficult and time-consuming than other species. Euthanasia is commonly practiced in some facilities to avoid the costly and time-consuming efforts to devote to each single rescued raptor for its treatment and maintenance. Too often, however, injured raptors, although admitted alive to rescue centers, end up euthanized. For those species threatened with extinction, the prevision of a successful post-releasing life is an absolute requirement for the spreading of their gene into the wild population.

In the meantime, a focus on the correct recovery of injured subjects is paramount since every single bird bears a unique, valuable, genetic code. Therefore, conservative life strategies must be urgently improved. Almost 18% of raptors are threatened with extinction and 52% have declining global populations. Raptors are some of the most threatened birds. The main findings of this study were: (i) The rapid increase of the raptors’ speed (ii) the muscular growth and endurance, and (iii) successful reintroduction of a wild bird.ĭue to the role that raptors play in their environment, they can be defined as bioindicators, demonstrating, through their presence, how healthy habitat is, thereby, improving the chances of a rehabilitated raptor to survive once released into the wild is essential.

Three falconry raptors and one wild Eurasian hobby were trained through high-tech falconry to develop the ability to catch, grasp, and airlift their prey at a different speed, altitude, and resistance. This has been possible due to the combination of classic falconry techniques and modern technologies, such as the introduction of specific workouts with drones. To overcome these problems, a new training method was conceived, which could improve raptors’ muscular strength while limiting habituation to humans. On the other hand, if a convalescent bird is trained with the only use of classic falconry techniques, it is likely to remain dependent on the caretaker/falconer even long after the release, so unable to hunt independently. After hospitalization, raptors are often released when muscular recovery is still unfitting when they are unable to hunt efficiently and are at risk of dying from starvation within a few days.

Raptors are some of the most at-risk groups of birds in the world and saving these top predators is essential for maintaining the health of many ecosystems.

World center for birds of prey