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Medina Raptor Center Team Members

About Medina Raptor Center

Our Mission & History

Established in 1990, the Medina Raptor Center is now one of Ohio’s leading raptor rehabilitation facilities. We specialize in birds of prey but also work with songbirds, treating hundreds of birds each year. Most come to us with human-involved injuries like motor vehicle collisions, poisoning (often by pesticides) or gunshot wounds. Many are also the result of territory battles with other birds or cat attacks. All birds receive individual attention, appropriate veterinary care, physical therapy, and conditioning or training before we return them to the wild.

 

Our mission is to rescue, rehabilitate and release displaced, injured, sick or orphaned birds, including endangered and threatened species, and return them to their natural habitat. We also believe it is our responsibility to inform and educate the general public on best conservation practices and protection of wild birds and their natural habitats. The end goal is to ensure that humans and wildlife can coexist peacefully and effectively. MRC is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization licensed by both state and federal agencies. We operate solely on the generosity of our supporters and volunteers, all of whom donate their time, funds and supplies.

 

We secure professional medical treatment through a number of local veterinarians. MRC provides post-treatment care such as wound management, medications and physical therapy. These services are performed within our small medical facility or through the use of more than 40 enclosures of various sizes and dimensions specifically designed for optimum therapy and flight work necessary before release. We also utilize falconry equipment and techniques to support physical conditioning and flight practice.

 

It is important to note that we are a private facility, not open to the public. We do accept drop-offs however they require an appointment and prior authorization. If you have a bird in need, please call us at 330-591-7300. If we do not answer, please provide your name, number and best time to call you back. Our phones are not covered 24/7 because we are focused on caring for the birds in our facility so, please allow us time to get back to you. We appreciate and share your compassion for doing what’s best for birds in need. Sometimes, the right answer is not to bring the bird to us, but to take it somewhere closer or more appropriate to the bird’s specific needs.

We Offer:

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation is more than just providing medication to an injured bird. We work with several excellent veterinarians who do X-rays, perform surgeries, and prescribe medication. We provide the daily medication and monitoring at our facility to make sure that the bird is recovering mentally and physically. When a bird no longer requires the close monitoring, it is moved to a recovery enclosure to allow it room for some limited flying. Before release, we move the bird to a flight enclosure to ensure that it has the strength and stamina to fly and survive in the wild. We also condition the bird using live prey to make sure they know how to hunt on their own. In some cases, we use creances to strengthen the bird.

Outreach

Each year, our educational outreach programs impact several thousand individuals through a variety of activities and information that can be focused to the specific needs or desires of many different types of groups. These include schools, churches, 4-H clubs, scouts, seniors, libraries and other community groups. We also enjoy a very special partnership with the Medina County Parks system, presenting a number of general programs on birds of prey. Many of our resident educational birds participate in these programs as ambassadors to acquaint guests with the various features and characteristics of birds of prey as well as how to protect their habitats.

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