Two more red-tailed hawks are soaring over East Tennessee, after being injured then rehabilitated and released.
The juvenile hawks were found injured in Knox County and were taken to UT Medical Center for treatment. UT vets teamed up with the American Eagle Foundation to get the birds ready to go back to the wild. Wednesday morning, the beautiful birds took flight at Ijams Nature Center.
They have to strike a careful balance, feeding and caring for the birds, but not making them dependent on humans.
"We try and make sure as much as we can that we have as little contact with them as possible. So, we take good care of them obviously, and every day we go back and feed them and make sure their living space is clean. But we wear full camouflage and we make no noise, so no chatting or gossiping. We don't want them to associate humans with food or with any sort of care,"
said Hannah Start with the American Eagle Foundation.
On Sunday, Ijams Nature Center is hoping to release a barn owl back into the wild at 4:00 pm, weather permitting.
10 WBIR
