Readying patients to return to the wild

Once a patient is stabilized and recovering, the PAWS wildlife team turns their focus to preparing the animal to return to the wild. An eagle that arrives with a broken wing might need several weeks of physical therapy in various sizes of animal housing. Other animals, like orphaned bear cubs, require months of daily enrichment to learn foraging skills that would normally be taught by their mother. This kind of rehabilitation requires spacious, flexible outdoor areas that can adapt to each animal’s unique needs.

Moving from a 3.5-acre facility in Lynnwood to a 25-acre Wildlife Center in Snohomish has allowed PAWS to construct new types of enclosures based on the latest innovations in the field of wildlife rehabilitation. A circular flight track in the large raptor recovery habitat allows birds like osprey and peregrine falcons to practice continuous flight – something that is not possible in the smaller, rectangular enclosures in Lynnwood. Larger carnivores, like bobcats and bears, will have access to spacious outdoor areas. These spaces will better mimic natural habitats, greatly improving their rehabilitation experience and their readiness for release back to the wild.

New custom-built recovery habitats on this remote property will reduce visual and auditory stress for animals, better support their changing needs while rehabilitating, and ultimately lead to improved outcomes, decreasing the time that animals need to spend at the PAWS Wildlife Center before they are released.

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10  20 bobcats

100  200 seabirds