From rescue to release: Raptor Center manages growing caseload of injured and ill birds of prey
By Troy Johnson
They have arrived from all corners of Alabama, in all manner of containers. Turkey vultures wrapped in blankets and towels, burrito-style; bald eagles and hawks caged within pet carriers. Auburn University Raptor Center (AURC) Director Robyn Miller even remembers a golden eagle with lead toxicity being delivered to the center in a pair of taped-together packing boxes [the AURC offers preferable guidance on how Good Samaritans can transport a wild bird that is injured or ill].
From Eastern screech owls to red-shouldered hawks, more than 240 injured, ill or orphaned birds of prey had been admitted to the AURC since January. AURC Assistant Director of Raptor Rehabilitation Stephanie Kadletz said most patients arrive as the result of human impacts – vehicle collisions, lead poisoning, entanglement in barbed wire, electrocution by power lines, habitat loss or the theft of fledglings.
The caseload increases with the sun sinking below the horizon earlier in the day, limiting visibility for motorists who may not see red-shouldered hawks gliding from their periphery to snatch up a mouse from a grassy highway median or barred owls who hunt at dusk.
When Miller describes raptors as “magnificent and fragile,” it is because she sees the considerable evidence of their majesty and vulnerability daily.
“They [raptors] are indicators of ecological health and symbols of wildness that persist among us,” said Miller, who joined the AURC, a unit of Auburn University’s College of Veterinary Medicine (CVM), in January 2025.
The AURC exists, in part, to help and heal when those symbols of untamed wildness meet symbols of human encroachment on habitats. In recent weeks, in quick succession, the AURC took in a Cooper’s hawk and barred owl that were each struck by vehicles and lodged within their grillwork, resulting in minor injuries. Both are expected to return to the wild. So far, 79 patients have been released this year. More than 2,000 patients have been released by the center since 2000.
“We get to provide a level of care that is really hard to come across at other facilities,” said Dr. Amberly Sokoloff, clinical veterinary fellow at the AURC.
The recent roadway incidents, Good Samaritan drop-offs and resulting care underscore the urgent regional need CVM addressed by forming the AURC more than 50 years ago.
“Our relationship with the College of Veterinary Medicine is essential because it grounds everything we do in scientific rigor and compassionate care,” said Miller, whose initial involvement with the AURC came through volunteerism as she pursued a Ph.D. in English literature. “The AURC’s mission of conservation, education and rehabilitation depends on that connectivity.”
Building a foundation for rehabilitation and education
While this fall marks the AURC’s 25th year of bringing “War Eagle Flights” to life in front of nearly 90,000 football fans in Jordan-Hare Stadium, the center’s involvement in a signature Auburn gameday tradition extends from a well-established mission focused on conservation, education and rehabilitation.
“Our resident raptors and patients benefit from access to some of the best veterinary expertise and resources in the country,” Miller said. “That proximity allows us to continually advance avian medicine and train the next generation of veterinarians and wildlife professionals. It’s not just collaboration – it’s an ecosystem of learning, discovery, and stewardship that embodies Auburn’s mission.”
What was originally known as the Southeastern Raptor Rehabilitation Center came into existence in 1972 under CVM faculty member Dr. Jimmy Milton `67, at the request of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS). The USFWS brought six injured birds to the CVM for care along with a request for the college to become a regional rehabilitation hub. Milton, then-CVM Dean Jimmy Greene and Radiology faculty member Greg Boring laid the groundwork for a regional center.
“There was a critical gap in the ability to deliver medical care to injured raptors in the Southeastern United States,” said Dr. Calvin Johnson, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. “At that time, Auburn was the primary college of veterinary medicine in the Southeast.”
Birds were initially treated within the college’s Small Animal Clinic before a raptor barn came into existence in the late-1970s through donated materials and volunteer labor.
The current site of the AURC off Shug Jordan Parkway behind the CVM campus began to take shape in 1998, through the generosity of Dr. Woody Bartlett `64. Bartlett channeled his support into the establishment of the Elmore Bellingrath Bartlett Raptor Center Hospital to honor his mother, a noted Alabama philanthropist. A donation in honor of the late Dr. Russell Laster `51 led to the opening of the Carol Clark Laster/W.E. Clark Jr. Raptor Training Facility in 2002. The training facility features 24 mews and an office building.
The Edgar B. Carter Educational Amphitheater in 2005. The center’s growth arc isn’t complete by any means. In August, the AURC and CVM launched a “25 Years of War Eagle Flights” celebration campaign that will continue through the end of the Alabama-Auburn football game on November 29. An anonymous donor has vowed to match all contributions dollar-for-dollar through the end of the campaign, which will help the AURC pursue enhancements to the amphitheater, including shaded seating, improved accessibility and restored flight towers.
The upgrades are important given that the AURC reaches more than 30,000 stakeholders each year through its educational programming. On the Fridays before Auburn home football games, the AURC welcomes as many as 500 guests for “Football, Fans and Feathers” programs that introduce audience members to owls, kestrels, falcons and other winged center residents.
“Our vision is to take what we have now, which is impressive, and turn it into something spectacular,” Johnson said. “Our focus is going to be on improving the public experience at the Raptor Center through a master plan. We need to be constantly pushing the limits and against the barriers to be the very best in taking care of [raptors].”
Experiential learning
Current Auburn University students and recent graduates from a wide assortment of academic majors frequently assist with caregiving, training and educational programs. Many are drawn to the AURC by the pre-football game War Eagle Flights or interest in its mission. Andrew Hopkins, the center’s administrative coordinator, initially found his way to the AURC as an undergraduate student because he needed a topic for an English paper. He joined the AURC team as a raptor specialist in 2012.
“It speaks volumes about the AURC’s power to inspire,” said Miller, whose own connection to the center began as a volunteer while pursuing a Ph.D. in English literature at Auburn. “This incredible center has a way of calling people in, regardless of major or anticipated career path. Raptors awaken something universal in us – a shared awe, a recognition of life’s wild balance – but they also remind us how deeply the natural world depends on our care.”
Christina Carter, a senior psychology major from Destin, Fla., wouldn’t mind following a similar path as Miller and Hopkins. Getting to “catch” the golden eagle Aurea after her pregame flight before the Auburn-Georgia game represented a “full circle moment” for someone who became enamored with the “War Eagle” tradition as a child.
“It’s an honor to play a small role in carrying forward a legacy that means so much to our university and community,” she said. “After graduation, I hope to continue working at the Auburn University Raptor Center. This experience has become one of the most formative parts of my college journey.”
The center’s volunteer Raptor Team includes first-, second- and third-year students and clinical fourth-year students on 2-week raptor rotations from the CVM’s Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program. Those students ultimately learn lessons from raptor cases to guide them as future clinicians.
“The Raptor Center has taught me so much about the importance of having wildlife resources in a community,” said Payton McCaleb, a member of the DVM program’s Class of 2026 and an aspiring wildlife veterinarian. “Auburn is known for the eagles that fly at the football game, but what about the eagles that get hit by cars? Or the red-tail hawks, barred owls and Cooper’s hawks that acquire similar injuries? Without the Raptor Center, these birds would not stand a chance.”
Ultimately, AURC staff members, as well as student and community members involved in rehabilitation and educational programming as volunteers, all have the same collective goal.
“Rehabilitation is inseparable from education,” Kadletz said. “Through the rehabilitation process, we also have the responsibility to education the public – not only about their grace and beauty, but about how we can coexist and take meaningful steps in our daily lives to protect them. Many of these species are in decline, and it’s up to us to ensure their survival for future generations.”