Injured hawk will be released after recovering from injury at Keepers of the Wild in Valentine, AZ!

A Swainson's Hawk is recovering from what appears to be a gunshot wound to the wing. He was found on the side of the road on Route 66 on the evening of June 26 th by Jonathan Kraft and Tina Matejek. Jonathan is the Founder and Director of Keepers of the Wild and Tina is his Assistant Director.

The two were on their way to Kingman for a function when they came across the hawk. It was disoriented, hopping back and forth across the road, and did not appear to be able to fly. They stopped their truck and went for the bird. They managed to capture the hawk and take it to their local veterinarian for observation. He was evaluated and found to have a small hole in his wing. They are not sure if the hole was made by a BB gun or a .22 caliber gun.

The Swainson's Hawk was brought to Keepers of the Wild, an exotic animal sanctuary in Valentine, Arizona, to recuperate. His prognosis is very good and Keepers expects to release him within ten days. He will have minimal human contact and Kraft has stated that most released hawks do very well. However, he will have to prove he Is capable of survival before he is released back to the wild.

Keepers of the Wild works in conjunction with Arizona Game and Fish and the Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center of Phoenix, Arizona when providing rehabilitation services. Jonathan Kraft would like to stress that if you come across a sick or injured wild animal, please do not attempt to rescue or rehabilitate the animal yourself. Instead, immediately contact your local Arizona Game and Fish office or Keepers of the Wild for assistance, as it is illegal to remove an animal from its natural habitat. For more information, specific guidelines, and a list of wildlife rehabilitators, please visit the Arizona Game and Fish website at www.azgfd.com.

   

This webpage was last updated on 7/05/2008