Over the years we’ve learned that a great many of the young animals that people bring to us could really be returned to their own parents, or fostered to other wild adults.  We have made this the major focus of our baby animal program. This young Barred Owl became separated from its parents because the nest tree fell and the nestling was found on the ground.  Instead of raising it at the Wildlife Center, we took the nestling back to the place where it was found, installed a substitute nest in another tree, and used a recording of the nestling owl to call in the parents to the new nest site. The parents immediately adapted to the new nest site and began feeding their nestling.  A week later, we added another nestling, this one a true orphan, to the nest basket.  The parents, who can’t count their offspring and don’t mind caring for an extra youngster, adopted the new nestling and began to feed it along with their own offspring. This picture was taken about three weeks later, after both juveniles had outgrown the nest basket.  The “branchers” were photographed perched high in the tree, obviously healthy, and well on their way to successful lives in the wild.

Our outstanding facility is the Raptor Wing (above). It was designed by Marshall Anderson of ArchitectureWorks.  George Barber, a long-time patron, funded its construction. The cages are ideal for housing birds of prey, and the building design was one of just three that were selected for commendation by the Alabama Institute of Architects in 2002.