The Alaska Raptor Center provides medical treatment to approximately 200 injured birds each year. Although we specialize in raptors, we will aid any wild bird in need. We strive to heal, rehabilitate and release all of our avian patients, however, some are injured too severely to fully recover and survive in the wild. These non-releasable birds may join our Raptors-in-Residence team, helping us teach the public and schoolchildren about the wonders of raptor natural history and the habitats in which they live! The mission of the Alaska Raptor Center is to promote and enhance wild populations of raptors and other avian species through rehabilitation, education, and research. The Alaska Raptor Center was established in 1980 in the backyard of two concerned Sitkans, starting with one injured bald eagle. The effort grew, and volunteers treated eagles at their homes until 1983, when they moved to a small shed on the campus of Sheldon Jackson College. In 1991 the Center moved to its present location on 17 acres bordered by the Indian River.