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Howell Nature Center
Recently, the wildlife team was met with a challenging decision. Over the past two weeks, our wildlife staff noticed a sharp decline in the health of Allegro, the Peregrine Falcon, due to ongoing kidney and liver disease. This condition is common in geriatric birds of prey. As the animals in Wild Wonders often live well beyond the age of their wild counterparts, they can develop conditions like this that we are generally able to manage comfortably for some time. In Allegro’s case, our team came to the difficult decision of humanely euthanizing him this past Monday due to his increasing discomfort and depleting quality of life. Anyone who has ever cared for a senior animal knows how decisions like this, although necessary, are made with a heavy heart. In this difficult time, we thank our community for your compassion and support.
Allegro was banded (the silver strip on his legs) as a wild nestling in Columbus, OH as part of a program to increase the wild peregrine falcon population (they are endangered in some Midwest states, like Michigan). He lived in Detroit, MI as an adult for many years with his mate Miriam, but was injured in a territory battle with a younger male in 2013. His injury was a fracture in his wing tip which would re-break if he flies in a stoop, the name for their extremely fast dives to catch prey, which made him unable to hunt and live in the wild. He was 14 years old when he arrive at Howell Nature Center and this past spring was his 19th birthday. He will be deeply missed.
Was this male born on the Rhodes Tower? Son of Bandit & Aurora, or Victory?
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