About the South East Birds of Prey Centre


We are a centre dedicated to the care and rehabilitation of sick, injured and disabled birds of prey (otherwise collectively known as raptors which are Falcons, Hawks and Owls). However, we will not turn away other sick animals but will arrange for the best possible care with people specialising in those type of species.


The centre co-operates with authorities such as the ISPCA, The National parks and Wildlife Service (The Slobs in Wexford) local veterinary practices, Garda. More importantly we rely on the public to ensure recovery of these special birds.


Since our intention to establish the centre in January 2005, we have handled 16 Birds. Very soon we found out that people were unsure what to do when they discovered a bird. Unfortunately delays in recovery caused the death of many birds.


Even more disturbing is the number of birds with shotgun wounds, only one of which has survived and will never be able to fend for herself in the wild. We named her Toto (She has an old injury that means she has a Toe and Claw missing), she will live a happy life with us and she may even get the chance to breed and see her offspring set free in the wild.


About 50% of our birds come from Road Traffic Accidents (RTA) and these are usually juvenile (up-to 1 year old) who try and take advantage off other animals killed on the road. Many of these birds are just 'shook' and with a bit of TLC they make it back to the wild (2 Kestrels and 1 Sparrowhawk have been released where they were found). Fortunately the quick thinking public have helped these birds recover (with a little help from us!).


Last Updated 27.07.09

How we help:


We help by keeping the birds in a special isolation environment so that they do not become tame (otherwise called Imprinting), we may have to force feed (called Crop Tubing) to boost their intake of food to speed up recovery. We automatically seek advice from the team of Vets and will always have an x-ray. We assess and agree its chances of survival. Unfortunately, a number of damaged birds have no chance to make it back into the wild and we take the humane decision to Euthanase to avoid further distress to the bird.


We are 100% committed to helping birds recover, to return to the wild, to maintain the ecological balance, sometimes an incredibly healthy bird will never be able to fend for its self in the wild. We will always ensure quality of life no matter what the disability.


We further intend to help with understanding and education of the Raptor species by visiting schools and clubs on lecture visits.


Last Updated 27.07.09

How we manage:


The Centre is self funding through donations and sponsorship from the public. Everybody involved are volunteer's and give time & energy to this important endeavor.


Where possible we ask the authorities to cover the costs of medicine and x-rays etc.  You can guarantee that where bureaucracy is involved, more time is taken with this than looking after our 'patients'. Naturally we avoid this and with the generosity of the public, we carry on.


Ultimately we would like to Centre to be allowed grant's to develop into a premier recovery centre and allow tourists to visit.


We network with other Raptor recovery organisations, Vets and wild bird enthusiasts for expert opinions to ensure the best care is available.


Last Updated 27.07.09