Repetition, reinforcement, trust: How Raptor Center training keeps eagles gameday ready
Just like a coach considers the starting lineup before a football game, choosing which eagle from the Auburn University Raptor Center (AURC) will make the famous pre-game flight in Jordan-Hare Stadium is a game time decision.
“About an hour before the game, we kind of look at their game face and decide,” said Andrew Hopkins, the center’s administrative coordinator. “We don’t know until an hour before kickoff who will be flying.”
This fall, the famed tradition turns 25 years old, and the AURC, which is housed in the College of Veterinary Medicine, is celebrating with a campaign — from now through the Iron Bowl on Nov. 29 — to raise awareness and philanthropic support for community education efforts and the training and care of its raptors.