For bird lovers travelling within the coasts of Alaska, a trip to the Alaska Raptor Center should land as their topmost priority. This conservation and rehabilitation center is located in Sitka. The site can easily be identified as it sits beside the Indian river. The vast space that covers up to seventeen acres is a home to injured birds lurking around the state of Alaska.
Amongst the most common types of birds found in the conservation center are eagles, falcons, and owls. There are also some hawks which were held captive after finding them from forests. This raptor center serves as the headquarters for the rehabilitation of different birds of prey in Alaska. In fact, they provide service to up to two hundred injured birds every year. These birds are taken over to the center contained in special cages that were flown into the area thru airplanes.
After a successful healing process, the birds are then freed and released to go back to the forest. However, for unhealed ones or those which appears too weak to survive the wild, they are given to several zoo centers and wildlife centers in the US. Some animals which cannot be released back to the nature are left in the center – free for the guests to interact with. This is the reason why they were later on known as a famous educational spot in the area.
For people who are advocates of animal rights and are good with releasing the birds back to their real habitat, the center is also open for volunteers. Those volunteers can take part in the healing process and restoration program of injured birds. Doing so even just for a day speaks more than a typical Alaska experience. Being one with nature in a far too different pursuit than any other is truly a remarkable thing to consider once you step foot in Sitka, Alaska.