Raptor Center of Tampa Bay

01/04/2025

In a unified effort, Shelley from Birds In Helping Hands, Selena, our local bat Rehabber, her brother, daughter, Kat from the Raptor Center, and I worked together to rescue a white pelican. Sadly, the bird had sustained a severe compound fracture of the humerus. Stranded for a couple of days, this injury regrettably proves fatal for a migratory bird.  Blue Pearl in Brandon provided a quick trip to heaven.  . 

01/04/2025

Opossum updates. Grandma passed over the rainbow bridge last night peacefully in my arms. I would like to hope that we made the last bit of her life a lot more comfortable. Our boy with the broken jaw is eating opossum food that we grind up with the immersion blender and he's eating that on his own although he still looks pretty rough. And this feisty little bit is ready to go home! He came from very close to Gibsonton Drive and 301. He will be returned to that general area but a few blocks away from the busy intersection where he was found as a baby.

01/04/2025

Thanks to Shawna Tillman, The Eagle has transport to the Audubon Center for Birds Of Prey in Maitland and thanks to Doug Guido the turtle has a ride to Swamp Girl Adventures in Kissimmee. If you can provide assistance in transportation in the future please text Nancy at 813-205-1851. The Eagle must arrive by early afternoon.

01/03/2025

🎉 It’s time for the first Nature Nuggets of the year! 🌟 Meet the Red Knot: globe-trotting champs flying up to 9,000 miles annually! 🐦 Fun fact: they double their weight pre-flight! 🌊

01/03/2025

This article provides a comprehensive discussion on the presence of lead in our environment. We will know once the Eagle in our care undergoes testing for lead on Saturday. Because radiographically there does not appear to be any fractures, lead poisoning is one of our concerns. Our partnership with the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey (CBOP) enables us to leverage their expertise in analyzing the bird's blood for lead poisoning. Notably, our research indicates that 47% of Eagles admitted to rehabilitation centers nationwide exhibit some degree of lead poisoning. Furthermore, CBOP's testing in Florida has revealed that 24% of Eagles tested positive. This translates to 1 in 4 Eagles in Florida and 1 in 2 nationwide. To mitigate this issue, we advocate eliminating the sale of lead ammunition and lead fishing weights. Help save the planet. Avoid lead products.

Your Shot to Save EaglesAll Posts / May 8, 2024 It isn’t easy being a raptor. Even at the top of the food chain, these predators face many threats, such as disease, drought, vehicle collisions, habitat degradation, poaching, electrocution, and lead. The U.S. Geological Survey estimates that be.....

01/03/2025

Our admissions yesterday in addition to the Eagle, included a Barred Owl involved in a collision with a truck. The driver reported knowing he hit something but did not observe the Owl on the road. The bird was subsequently discovered between the truck's cab and trailer. We appreciate Carlos's efforts in rescuing the Owl, which is currently in guarded condition. Furthermore, we received a turtle from Blue Pearl-Brandon requiring transport to Kim at Swamp Girl Adventures. If you can assist with transportation, please text Nancy at 813-205-1851. The arrival of Eagles is often accompanied by baby Squirrels. 🦅🐿️ .

01/03/2025

21st eagle rescue this season. George with Birds In Helping Hands and Lani & Jessie from Tampa Bay Raptor Rescue collaborated on a successful response to the call. After they all apprehended the eagle, which initially attempted to flee on foot, our volunteer Louise Roy transported it to the Raptor Center. Carlos took it to the vet and It received a complete set of x-rays at Blue Pearl Brandon. Julio transported it back here where it has had a complete exam, fluids, medication, dinner that consisted of two rats cut up and it will receive overnight care here. The eagle is set for transfer to the Audubon Center for Birds of Prey on Saturday morning, where he will receive lab work, continued care, treatment and rehabilitation for return back to the wild.  .

01/01/2025

Tonight we got an adult squirrel in pretty much unconscious. I can't tell what happened to her. Some kids in my neighborhood picked her up and brought her inside. Noticed that she was cold. Anytime you can pick up a full grown squirrel without getting bit something is terribly wrong. We have given her fluids and some medicine and have her on oxygen and heat, but she is fighting for her life. We also got two squirrels in that are 3 to 4 weeks. Their mom was trapped and removed from an attic two days ago. They are struggling and sadly, the people just relocated the mother squirrel 5 miles away with no consideration for her well-being. Thank goodness when they found the babies, they brought them to us. we thank Maria for picking up from veterinary emergency group one that's about seven weeks old. We also got a badly injured morning dove from Lakeland. she evidently was attacked by something. She's had fluids and pain medicine and her wounds have been fixed and we have started her on antibiotics.

01/01/2025

Thanks to Maria the baby has a ride Any chance that somebody is available to pick up the squirrel from veterinary emergency group north in Tampa and bring it out to us and Brandon? If you can help, please text Nancy at 813-205-1851.. emergency group

01/01/2025

Welcome 2025! I want to thank you for being part of this journey. Your passion for the Wild world inspires me to do better every day.

As I sit and think about the last few years I think about how fortunate we are to be able to work with and help so much Wildlife.

2024 brought us unforgettable moments from releasing bald eagles to surviving the hurricanes and the onslaught of baby squirrels that followed. I feel so fortunate to have experienced so many wonderful moments with great volunteers working to save our precious Wildlife.

Unfortunately, 14 years of working with Wildlife has painted a vivid picture of what is happening on the planet. Did you know that 1 million species are threatened for extinction? We all have some very serious work to do.

Here's to a new year of adventures, inspiration, and hope that working together we can save the planet!

01/01/2025

Wishing a Happy New Year to our Facebook followers. We are providing an update on the young boy who was hit by a car, resulting in a broken jaw. He made progress today by consuming some food. His treatment plan includes ongoing pain relief medication, anti-inflammatory medication, and fluid therapy. His condition remains critical. .

12/31/2024

In 14 years we have never gotten a baby squirrel on New Year's Eve. We have one on the way. As you can see it has some bruising on it and it's super tiny. We will do our best to try and save it. .

12/31/2024

I wanted to share with you the heartwarming update on the bobcat's condition today. This is the same bobcat that was rescued on Christmas Eve. It's at A To Z Menagerie and being closely monitored by our veterinarian. The bloodwork shows that the cat has toxoplasmosis and it now is on a 21 day antibiotic regime, but you can see the huge difference in the eyes. On Christmas Eve this cat was picked up by a good Samaritan out of the road. It had been bumped by a car because obviously it could not see. One week of eyedrop antibiotics and now we have a targeted antibiotics based on blood work raises our hopes for return to the wild! We are so grateful to work collectively as a group together for the welfare of the animals. .

12/31/2024

It's the last day of the year to make a donation and help offset your taxes! We are a nonprofit 501(C)3 and we exist on the donation of others. This year with all the hurricanes, our donations have been low. If you like what we do, even the smallest donation can help. You can donate to us through PayPal, Venmo, zeffy, cash app, checks, and cash work too. Our identification is the raptor center of Tampa Bay located in Brandon Florida. Our phone number is 813-205-1851.

12/31/2024

A red shoulder hawk was abandoned in a box for a couple of days until a good Samaritan, acquainted with the individual, intervened and sought urgent assistance. While the hawk can now lift its head, its condition is extremely critical; we appreciate Lloyd and Cathy Terry's timely aid. In other developments, a red-tailed hawk with a severe eye infection is scheduled to see the ophthalmologist who treated the bobcat, and an opossum with a broken jaw has been admitted for treatment. All present big challenges. .

12/31/2024

I used to love fireworks. But once I saw what they do to animals, especially baby animals, I don't think that the 10 minute thrill is worth what it does to animals. Did you know that if you clap in the same room with a baby animal it will cause it to jump and be so scared? Could you imagine how scared they will be tomorrow night? Another thing that you may not realize is that the hurricanes perhaps along with climate change has really messed with with our wild animals. We have baby squirrels right now we shouldn't. We have baby Owls, baby Songbirds they should not be born right now so tomorrow night is gonna be exponentially worse for them. Please consider that before you start blowing up your neighborhood Every firework holiday I pray for rain.

Tomorrow night, and likely through the weekend, fireworks will be sounding all around us. If you find injured or orphaned wildlife, please use the free app Animal Help Now or www.animalhelpnow.org to find a licensed rehabber near you based on species. You can also reference our website at www.GeorgiaWildlifeNetwork.com.

If you have pets, please make sure they are INDOORS and when you have to take them out, be sure to take them out on a leash, (even if you have a fenced in yard). Dogs can climb fences and you may not have time to react when it happens. Be sure pets are wearing collars and tags in case they were to break loose.

Everyone be safe! Happy New Year!

12/30/2024

Good advice.

For those of us that work with wildlife the current outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been a great concern since early 2022. In May 2022, we began seeing outbreaks here in Oregon. Badger Run has dealt with a number of birds that have presented with HPAI symptoms and outcomes. Thanks to an Avangrid grant and donor support, our rehab was able to build a quarantine building so that we could combat the virus' spread and still be able to admit patients. As of February 2024, HPAI has infected over 48 different species of mammals around the world including humans. Cats appear to be especially impacted by the virus. Cats have been known to carry bird flu since 2004 with their death rate at about 50%. With this more highly pathogenic variant that is now spreading among cattle, the feline death rate is about 90%. Recently, an exclusively indoor pet cat here in Oregon ate HPAI contaminated raw and frozen turkey feline food and died from the virus (yep, freezing doesn't kill the virus). In Washington, a big cat wildlife sanctuary lost 20 of 37 big cats to HPAI. As wildlife rehabbers, we have always asked folks to please not let their pet cats go outside. It is dangerous both for wildlife, but also the cats. NOW MORE THAN EVER, CAT OWNERS NEED TO HEED THIS ADVICE. Being hunters, cats allowed to roam outside are going to be exposed to HPAI. They hunt/eat wild birds and they may eat wildlife that is already dead, possibly infected with HPAI. The AVMA recommends pet owners look out for signs such as loss of appetite, lethargy, and fever. A bird flu infection can quickly progress with neurologic signs, such as tremors, seizures, loss of coordination, or blindness. Additionally, cats can have severe depression, discharge from their eyes or nose, rapid breathing, shortness of breath, sneezing, or coughing. If your cat shows these symptoms and you think it might have been exposed to bird flu, you should call a veterinarian immediately. Remember, sick animals may be able to transmit influenza virus to people in their saliva, p**p, and other bodily fluids.