10/17/95
Sam Hendrix (334) 844-3698
AU STUDENTS TO RELEASE RARE FALCON THEY NURSED BACK TO HEALTH
AUBURN -- An 18-month-old peregrine falcon Thursday will be returned to his natural habitat near Auburn, just three weeks after beginning a rehabilitation program at Auburn University.
Volunteer students at AU's Southeastern Raptor Rehabilitation Center -- based at the College of Veterinary Medicine -- began working with the bird they nicknamed "Darwin" shortly after he was brought in by two Auburn students who found him injured. The falcon, which reaches 275 mph while diving in pursuit of prey, apparently collided either with an automobile or a pole.
"He's lucky to be alive, and amazingly had no broken bones," said Joe Shelnutt, an AU senior in wildlife biology and the SERRC's rehabilitation director. "When he was brought to us, Darwin had suffered a blunt trauma and had swelling on one wing. But he has responded well to our efforts and is ready to return to the wild. When we release him, he's really going to go."
Darwin will become the second peregrine falcon AU students have rehabilitated and released in the past two years. The species is endangered and was practically extinct east of the Mississippi River just 20 years ago.
AU students at the SERRC have released more than 50 rehabilitated birds of prey this year, including various species of hawks, owls and falcons.
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(NOTE: The release is tentatively scheduled for 3 p.m. Thursday at a site near the Tuskegee National Forest near Auburn. Students will meet at the raptor center at 2:30 p.m. Media welcome to join in.)
Check out the SERRCÕs new home page on the World Wide Web at: http://www.vetmed.auburn.edu/raptor