Rescued Birds of Prey Teach Kids Worldwide
The Draper Museum Raptor Experience offers Relaxing with Raptors, a family-friendly educational program at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West. They have 12 permanently non-releasable birds of prey, also known as raptors, in their care that they use for these programs. All the raptors were injured and have physical disabilities (such as wing or eye injuries) or imprinted on humans rather than birds. This makes surviving in the wild very challenging. So instead, they get a second chance at life.
During the summer, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West offers two different show times, allowing visitors to learn about adaptations and each specific species. In October, they drop to one show per day. As winter rolls around, there are no public shows, so the birds can rest, work on continued training, and participate in Virtual Field Trips that match their sleep/wake cycle.
Virtual Field Trips
The raptor program outreach education does not pause for the winter. Virtual Field Trips are a big part of the winter season. These raptors have already helped educate children in classrooms all over the world! Virtual Field Trips are conducted with classrooms ranging from pre-K to 6th grade. These virtual field trips are done via webcam, allowing the class to see the raptor and bird handler in real-time.
The lessons last about 45 minutes and include time for students to ask questions. Any educator can sign up for these virtual field trips on the website. Zoom, Google Meet, Skype, Teams, or any other video conferencing platform can be used for these programs.
Virtual Field Trip Options
The Raptor Experience offers two different virtual field trips: Owls of Yellowstone and Falcons of Yellowstone, where they teach owl/falcon adaptations and how those adaptations make the raptor successful in the wild. They use one of their avian ambassadors to teach the children. Amelia is their Short-eared owl ambassador, and for their falcons, they use one of their American Kestrels: Dot or Salem.
Raptor Adoption Kits make a great gift item!
Learn more about birds on through these great articles.
Alison Scheu
Content Manager - Events for Cody Journal
Real Estate Agent - 307 Real Estate
My name is Alison Scheu and I am a born and raised Cody gal with family throughout the Big Horn Basin. I am not only a Cody High School Alumni but also a Northwest College and University of Wyoming Alumni. Living in Cody with my husband, daughter and dogs is nothing short of a blessing.