RAPTOR EMERGENCY?
Call our hotline 8am – 6pm
at 541-485-1320, ext. 2
Other contact numbers:
Chintimini Wildlife Center
(541) 745-5324
Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife:
1 (800) 720-6339
List of licensed Oregon wildlife rehabilitators
Animal Help Now
Nationwide directory of rehabilitation facilities and more
What is Wildlife Rehabilitation?
“Wildlife rehabilitation is the treatment and temporary care of injured, diseased, and displaced indigenous animals, and the subsequent release of healthy animals to appropriate habitats in the wild.” – Standards for Wildlife Rehabilitation, 2021
How We Help Wildlife Patients
At Cascades Raptor Center, the Louise Shimmel Wildlife Hospital receives over 1000 wildlife patients from Lane County and adjacent areas each year. Under our permitting from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and United States Fish and Wildlife Service, we admit raptors for medical treatment and rehabilitation. We also triage a variety of native bird species, and some small mammals which are transferred to other facilities that have permits to rehabilitate them.
In our hospital, patients are professionally assessed by our veterinarian and rehabilitation staff. Every patient is given the same standard of care that you would expect at an animal veterinary hospital. Patients are stabilized with oxygen, fluid therapy, and pain management, and plans for diagnostic workups and nutrition are made on a case-by-case basis. We are fortunate to be able to provide diagnostics ranging from blood work to digital radiography (X-ray) and Computed Tomography (CT). Soft tissue and orthopedic surgeries, as well as physical therapy, are provided according to the patients’ needs. All of this is done while ensuring our wildlife patients are kept in a low stress environment so that we can ensure optimal welfare and healing while they are recovering.
Once patients complete their medical care they are moved to specialized outdoor aviaries for reconditioning. These aviaries are specifically designed to ensure that birds can fly and maneuver with enough space to attain optimal fitness before release. Design parameters also ensure that the birds are safe and that their feathers remain in good condition.
When a patient has finished reconditioning, they have completed the rehabilitation process. When they are both physically and behaviorally healthy, we then release them back in their home territory so that they can continue to live their best life in the wild.