Western Outdoor Times - Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!

Early in January, three golden eagles took flight back into the wild after being rehabilitated by the Arizona Game and Fish Department's Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center. The eagles varied in age, but all came to the Wildlife Center in the past two months due to injuries or poor health.

The rehabilitation staff provided medical treatment and strength conditioning and as a result, the eagles were ready to rejoin Arizona's wild golden eagle population. One of the eagles was found by a hunter near Prescott and information from the bird's identification band indicates it was born in Oregon last year.

Golden eagles are large, impressive raptors, but little information exists about their population and habits in Arizona. Growing conservation concerns have increased the demand for a better understanding of the current status of the species and its needs. The Game and Fish Department kicked off a multi-year population assessment in 2011 and already more than 160 breeding areas have been identified through helicopter surveys.

The Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center treats more than 1,000 sick and injured animals annually and provides wildlife education at events and schools across the state, reaching more than 100,000 Arizonans a year. The facility was founded in 1983 and is operated by Game and Fish through support from the Heritage Fund (Arizona lottery dollars).