Due to budgetary, facility and manning difficulties at multiple avian rehabilitation centers in Alaska, it has become necessary for the American Bald Eagle Foundation to modify its protocol for accepting injured birds.
These centers are pushed to their limit attempting to provide rehabilitation for the large number of birds being brought in; therefore, effective July 1, 2013 the ABEF has established the following protocol:
Only “true raptors,” i.e., eagles, falcons, hawks and owls will be accepted or rescued by the ABEF. The ABEF will no longer accept songbirds, crows, ravens, gulls, etc. for rehabilitation. In implementing this new protocol, the ABEF will assist the rehabilitation centers in meeting their goals of helping as many birds as possible.
It will also remove the difficult task of deciding which birds are to be euthanized and which are not. All centers have agreed to accept all “true raptors” from the ABEF for rehabilitation. While this new protocol may seem unfair to many, it is a reflection of the tremendous time and resources required to rehabilitate so many injured avian species.
The ultimate goal is to rescue and rehabilitate as many birds as possible, not to exclude certain types of birds.
Thank you for your understanding during this resource-stressed time. This was a difficult decision to make; however, it is one that is necessary considering the shortage of manpower and resources. Dan Hart
ABEF raptor curator