We visited Oakwoods today for a program on their resident red-tailed hawk, Hawkeye.
In late 2008, some visitors to the nature center reported that there was an injured eagle on the ground in Lower Huron Metropark. Kevin and Roni rushed there to find a red-tailed hawk that was unable to fly. Unsure what exactly was wrong with it, they took it to a wildlife rehabilitator and they all came to the same conclusion -- the hawk had been abandoned by someone who kept it as a pet in a cage that was too small which had restricted its wing growth. Sadly, left in the wild and unable to fly... it would never survive.
After months of rehabilitation, and lots of paperwork, the nature center adopted the hawk rather than have it euthanized. Today, Hawkeye lives in a room-sized enclosure, and spends a comfortable life allowing school kids and visitors to the park, a close up view of a hawk and educating people on the dangers of keeping wildlife as pets.