Raptor Club & Rehabilitation Program
The WSU Raptor Club, located on the Washington State
University campus in Pullman, WA, is a non-profit volunteer
organization founded in 1981, whose purpose is to educate the public
about the conservation of raptors. Special permits for
non-releasable injured raptors allow us to take these birds to a
great variety of audiences such as schools, service organizations,
fairs, summer camps etc., for educational purposes. This allows us
to spare the lives of these magnificent birds and familiarize the
public with living representatives of various raptor species.
Despite federal and state protection many raptors continue to suffer
as a result of deliberate or incidental human activities. These
include shootings, car collisions, electric power line injuries,
poisonings and the various effects brought about by change or loss
of natural habitat. A primary goal of the WSU Raptor Club is to
engender into the public an appreciation for these majestic birds. A
raptor presentation by the Raptor Club affords this unique
opportunity.
When not engaged in the more than 80 annual presentations to over
15,000 people our volunteers provide daily care for these birds at
the WSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital. This care includes daily
feeding, cleaning, handling and walking of birds as well as
maintaining important equipment. If you are interested in having
us give a presentation to your group, please click on our
Presentation Request link for more information.
The WSU Raptor Club exists in hopes of changing the perceptions and
negative actions taken against raptors. These presentations present
people with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see these amazing
creatures up close.
Who Can Join:
The club is open to anyone 18 years or older who has an interest in
learning about birds of prey. We operate out of the Washington State
University Veterinary Teaching Hospital, on the WSU campus in Pullman,
WA. We meet approximately once a month in Bustad. If you are interested
in joining or learning more about the club, please e-mail us at
wsuraptorclub@gmail.com, and we will inform you of our next meeting
and how you can get involved!
2011-2012 Club Officers
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President |
Cody Nash |
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Vice President |
Jessica Graham |
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Treasurer |
Connor Holloway |
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Secretary |
Lynsey Bassen |
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Public Relations |
Kayla Hough |
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Program Coordinator |
Sarah Monzel |
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Fundraiser |
Gwendolyn Graf |
Address
WSU Raptor Club
Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences
PO Box 646610
Pullman, WA 99164-6610
Phone: (509) 335-0711
E-mail to join club:
wsuraptorclub@gmail.com
E-mail for presentation request:
wsuraptorprogram@gmail.com
What is a raptor?
A raptor is defined as a bird of prey that catches live prey species
for its own survival and raising of its young. Hawks, eagles,
falcons, owls, osprey and harriers are considered raptors. Some
characteristic features of raptors enabling them to catch and kill
their prey are their powerful talons and strong hooked beak. Other
features such as keen eyesight and hearing, swift flight, and great
strength are attributed to raptors.
IMPORTANT
NOTE ABOUT INJURED OR ORPHANED WILDLIFE: WSU personnel are
NOT able to retrieve injured or orphaned wildlife. Wildlife are the
property of the state of their origin and are also sometimes
regulated by the federal government. People with concerns about ill
or injured wildlife are urged to contact the local offices of that
states’ fish and wildlife service. WSU’s veterinary teaching
hospital will gladly assess wildlife brought to us and make a
determination as to a course of care. As a final note, please be
aware that some animals may carry diseases that can infect humans.
The most notable is rabies, which can infect all mammals. The
source of rabies in wildlife in Washington has been limited to the
big brown bat but there is no reason to believe other bats could not
be infected. In general, if a bat is healthy, no human should be
able to touch it. If you can, and do touch a bat, you run the risk
of being exposed to rabies which requires an extensive and expensive
course of injections to prevent this essentially 100 percent fatal
disease from developing. Again, Bats like all wildlife fall under
the control of their state’s game agency and most provide important
information about handling all wild animals, especially bats.
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