Gunshot Victims in the Wildlife Care Center
Read about the four gunshot Red-tailed Hawk that came into the Wildlife Care Center in the Winter of 2007.
Winter 2007
By Deb Sheaffer, Wildlife Care Center Operations Manager
The December 10th release of Red-tailed Hawk #1988 was thrilling for several reasons. He survived being caught in a NW Portland chicken coop and the several baths it took to clean off the mud and chicken droppings. He survived shock and the medical treatment for it. Most gratifying, though, is that Red-tailed Hawk #1988 survived being gunshot and lives still with five embedded pellets.
Red-tailed Hawks #1905, #1975, and#2038, all delivered to Wildlife Care Center in the last 5 weeks, were not so lucky. All three were illegally shot and suffered injuries so severe they had to be euthanized. The four Red-tailed Hawks were found in four different locations – NW Portland, Hillsboro, Vancouver, Ridgefield, WA – and were shot by different types of guns. In the past 2 months we’ve had 9 birds presented with gunshot wounds. Irene McIntosh, Wildlife Care Center Assistant, can’t think of any reasonable excuses for shooting these birds. She notes, “Red Tails can’t be mistaken for ducks or geese. They don’t damage property or destroy crops. My only conclusion is folks are shooting them out of plain cruelty and/or ignorance”.
Killing of protected birds is a federal crime and the Red-tailed Hawk shootings are under investigation. Current law makes these crimes simply a misdemeanor, however, convicted bird killers tend to escape with little more than a slap on the wrist. Portland Audubon supports legislation introduced by Representative Peter DeFazia to amend legislation and make it a felony to intentionally kill protected birds. For more information on this bill or to see how you can help go to our website at www.audubonportland.org/conservation_advocacy/mbta.
