EL PASO Raptor rehab

LITTLE ROCK — Tips for what to do if an injured raptor is found: > Do not attempt to rehabilitate an injured bird. Contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, the Game and Fish Commission, a licensed raptor rehabilitation sanctuary or the local police department.

> Never feed an injured raptor. The raptor’s diet is so complex that it may cause the bird’s condition to worsen.

> Try not to handle the bird. This could cause stress to the bird and possible injury to the handler.

> Keep pets, children and other loud noises away from the injured bird.

> If handling the bird is necessary to get it to a veterinarian, raptor rehabilitator or other wildlife agency, follow the instructions carefully that they provide you as far as handling and transporting the bird.

Rodney and Melissa Paul of El Paso don’t have the usual green grass, swing set and picnic table in their back yard. Stepping into the Pauls’ backyard is a journey into a raptor sanctuary.

Raptors are birds of prey that use their talons to capture their next meal. Eagles, owls, kites and hawks are a few examples. They have powerful talons and beaks for tearing the flesh off their prey. Many times these birds are injured, sick or have fallen victim to human intervention and may not survive without rehabilitation.

Paul’s love for birds started when he was a child, and later he volunteered at the Little Rock Zoo working with raptors.

“A minister got me into songbirds as a kid,” Paul said.

Seven years ago, with $8,000 of his own money, Paul started building Raptor Rehab of Central Arkansas.

After being laid off from his job working on corporate jets at Hawker Beechcraft in Little Rock, Paul went into full-time raptor care. Not only does he rehabilitate these birds, he educates people about them by doing presentations and using some of the birds, such as Cheyenne the barn owl and Phoenix the Harris hawk. Paul isn’t allowed to accept any compensation for his presentations because these birds are government property; however, donations for the care of the birds are accepted.

“We do it because we are returning something back to nature that wouldn’t have survived,” Paul said about his rehabilitation process.

In Cheyenne’s case, she was found as a chick and raised as a pet. This caused her to become an imprint bird. This means she was raised by humans and isn’t able to survive in the wild. Cheyenne looks to humans for food and care.

Another bird that will never survive in the wild because of his injuries is Buzz the turkey vulture. When he was a baby, his nest was bulldozed for a parking lot in Mountain Home.

“We got him as a chick,” Paul said. “He’s almost like a dog. Every time I go in there, he runs up to me.

“A joint injury is a death sentence for a bird,” Paul said about Buzz. “It just doesn’t heal, and the bird can’t take care of itself.”

In the wild, Paul said a bird has a 25 percent chance of surviving past its second birthday, mostly because of human intervention and becoming prey for other animals. In captivity, a bird can live up to 20 years.

There are dangers that accompany this job. Once after rescuing a bald eagle that had been shot in southwest Little Rock, Paul was caring for the bird and giving him antibiotic shots twice a day and decided to have Melissa snap a photo of the bird’s wingspan. As he held the eagle’s wings out, it turned and latched its beak onto Paul’s bottom lip.

“I told Melissa to stop taking pictures and help me,” Paul said laughing. “I was sitting in the treatment room in Jacksonville at about 6:30 or 7 (p.m.), and everybody in the ER had to come by and see the guy who had his lip bitten by a bald eagle.”

Many times, raptors, such as bald eagles are requested by zoos. Paul has delivered birds to zoos in various parts of the country at his own expense.

There are only 12 rehabbers in Arkansas, and they are not able to answer each bird call.

“We need more rehabbers in Arkansas,” Paul said. “You can only do so much with 12 of us, and it’s not the Game and Fish’s job to bring birds to us.”

Last year, Paul said he rescued 69 raptors and released 37 back into the wild. Along with Cheyenne and Phoenix, Paul kept Sky the red tail hawk, who was hit by a car and had seven surgeries, for his education program. Some birds, like two Mississippi kites Paul has taken in, cannot be released until next year because the migration time is over.

Paul holds a raptor rehabilitation and education license from the United States Fish and Wildlife Services, and all of the cages are built to strict specifications. Paul works closely with the Game & Fish Commission; however, it has no control over his raptor sanctuary. He is also a volunteer docent at the Little Rock Zoo and conducts the Raptor Education Program.

For more information on raptor rehabilitation, the education program or if an injured bird is found, call Paul at (501) 450-2653 or (501) 796-2241.

— jbrosius@arkansasonline.com

Three Rivers, Pages 51 on 11/12/2009

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