Morbidity and mortality of raptor birds in wildlife rehabilitation centers in the central region of Chile

It is known that in many countries, raptors are cataloged as vulnerable or endangered. The most important causes of raptors being admitted in wildlife rehabilitation centers (WRC) around the world are because of a human-raptor conflict. The main objective of this study was to know the morbidity and mortality of birds of prey entering three rehabilitation centers of Chile, and compare the results with other countries, giving a first approximation of the reality of rehabilitation in Chile. The results obtained were similar between all national WRC. The principal cause for admission was trauma (59% with 66% of them as fractures), orphaned birds (32%) and intoxication (97%) for diurnal raptors, nocturnal raptors, and Cathartiformes respectively. When we evaluated the final destination of birds admitted, we saw that 51% of them were euthanized or died, 39% of them were released and 10% were kept in captivity. In Chile, it is very important to know about the birds that come to different WRC, as they can provide background on the major causes affecting the health of birds of prey, which in turn can lead us in conservation projects of these species, either in the implementation of educational campaigns in different districts of the region, as in the monitoring and implementation of Chilean wildlife laws.