Juneau Raptor Center

Click to enlarge	Pip This Saw-whet Owl was found near the recreation area at Lena Point in Janurary 2006. Because the bird was found in the road, Raptor Center volunteers assumed that he had been hit by a car. Although there were no obvious injuries, such as broken bones, Pip barely moved and kept his eyes shut for three days. The small owl eventually recovered from his head injury and is now flying well in his enclosure. Update: In March 2006, Pip was released where he was found, at the Lena Point recreation area.
Click to enlarge	Casper Casper is JRC’s second Snowy Owl; the first was released in June 2005. This owl was found on North Douglas in November 2005 after taking refuge inside a boat. When the bird was found, he was very thin and undernourished. His X-rays showed no broken bones — however, Casper was severely dehydrated with possible kidney problems. After five days of treatment with fluids, he showed marked improvement. Casper will likely be released next spring after he makes a full recovery. Update: Casper was released in June 2006.
Click to enlarge	Trapper Trapper is a repeat customer of JRC. A hunter first noticed the eagle trying to steal his duck — when the bird was still in the same place three days later, the hunter called JRC. The volunteer who collected the bird spotted a band from a previous stay with JRC. The band identified the eagle as "Trapper," so named after being caught in a leg-hold trap in 2001. On the day slated for his 2001 release, Trapper jumped in his kennel and injured a wing. The release was postponed until he learned to fly again. This time Trapper was undernourished and had a break in the ulna in his left wing. The prognosis is excellent — the wing is healing and he has been eating well. Update: Trapper was released in Juneau in May 2006.
Click to enlarge	Thor Thor, a tiny Northern Pygmy Owl, was found in a neighborhood in Petersburg. Stunned by a head trauma, he had likely bounced off a car or hit a window. The bird was sent from Petersburg to JRC for rehab. A negative X-ray soon ruled out broken bones and cleared him to move to a large enclosure where Thor proved he could still fly. The little owl, about the size of a fist, is doing very well and will soon be returned to Petersburg for release. Update: Thor was released in Petersburg in November 2005.
Click to enlarge	Pat Bald eagle Pat came to JRC two years ago from a yard in Juneau. She was unable to fly. It took volunteers and veterinarians a long time to diagnose Pinched Feather Syndrome, an unusual condition that causes the large primary feathers on her left wing to fall out. Because primaries are essential to flight, Pat can never be released. Instead, she will be placed with another organization that wants an education eagle. Update: On December 1, 2006, Pat arrived at her new home, the Eagle Valley Raptor Center in Kansas.
Click to enlarge	Pigpen Pigpen, named by the person who found him wandering around a garbage dump in Angoon last April, has an injury to his eye. This adult eagle is blind in that eye and therefore can never be released. Update: JRC volunteers placed Pigpen in a new permanent home in Milwaukee, WI. He arrived at the end of September and has adjusted well to his new surroundings.
Click to enlarge	Amelia This young peregrine falcon was found on the ground in Wrangell. Injured during her first fall migration, the bird was well-nourished but her wing was broken. Skillful surgery repaired the wing and the bird, now named Amelia, healed quickly. JRC volunteers then embarked on a program to teach the bird how to fly again. Amelia is progressing well, but it is not clear whether she will be able to fly and hunt well enough to fend for herself in the wild. Update: Amelia was successfully released in the spring of 2006.