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Birds of Prey Centre bounces back from 2018 West Nile outbreak

May 20, 2019 | 11:51 AM

COALDALE, AB – The Alberta Birds of Prey Foundation suffered a tragic setback last summer.

In 2018, a West Nile virus outbreak resulted in the deaths of about 15 birds at the Coaldale centre. This season, the foundation is bouncing back and rising above the adversity they faced last summer.

Managing Director of the Birds of Prey Centre, Colin Weir, said birds are quite susceptible to contracting the illness and the outbreak in 2018 was very significant.

“One of the things that’s important for people to remember and know is that birds themselves do not spread West Nile virus at all,” he told Lethbridge News Now.

“They’re just affected by it, just like people and pets can be. Because they’re so vulnerable and susceptible, we had about 15 birds that died from that disease, spread by mosquitoes.”

Weir noted they’re still fully operational, but unfortunately some of the birds that had been a part of their flying operations were lost due to the outbreak.

“We’re just trying to locate and train new birds to fill their roles, but the birds we use are pretty special so sometimes it takes us a few years to find suitable replacements for them,” he noted.

He said they’ll look for birds that are bred in captivity, either at the Coaldale centre or other facilities in the province.

“Sometimes other facilities like ours might have surplus birds that they don’t need, so that’s usually how we find the birds used for our public programming.”

2019 SEASON PREVIEW & ANIMAL RECOVERY

Weir said an exciting thing about the springtime this year is that they have baby great horned owls at the facility.

“They grow up very quickly, so if anyone’s interested in seeing young owls, they should try to visit us in the next couple weeks, because they become adults very quickly,” he said.

The centre, which has been in operation since 1991, is open seven days a week from 9:30 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. through to Labour Day Monday.

“We’re not government subsidized at all, we are a charity and we just survive on both donations and admission fees when people come in,” he added.

“When people come in to visit us, all the funds we receive go towards our ongoing wildlife conservation and rescue work. So, any support from anybody through the way of either visiting us or donations is always greatly appreciated and helps wildlife rescue right here in the Lethbridge area.”

Weir added that if someone were to stumble upon an injured bird of prey, they can call the centre to find out how they can help.

“We have permits from Fish and Wildlife to care for any birds of prey, so that’s hawks, falcons, eagles, owls and vultures, so if anybody sees one any time of day or night, they’ll welcome to give us a call for some advice for that particular situation,” he said.

Volunteer opportunities are also available through the centre. Weir said anyone interested in helping can contact them for more details.