Across the parking lot from Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota is Save Our Seabirds Rehabilitation Center. They rescue, rehabilitate and release injured wild birds. They also house permanently injured birds. I had never been there before. The place is full of big cages for the birds to fly around in. It's mostly shaded so it didn't feel as hot as it really was walking around. The pictures above are of sandhill cranes that have lost a leg. The center has designed a prosthetic leg for them. Sandhill cranes are easy prey for getting hit by cars and losing a leg is one of the most common injuries from this. I don't know if any of these birds are released later. They seemed to be doing well walking around with the fake leg. The pictures were taken through tiny chicken wire so they are not good pictures but I thought the concept was pretty neat.
Below is a great horned owl that had lost an eye. The center also had pelicans, shorebirds, raptors, etc. It's a great place to spend an hour or two. No admission fee but they desperately need donations.
Their website - http://saveourseabirds.com/.
Hey - you were in my neck of the woods! S.O.S. is a great place. The prosthetic legs they've created for the sandhill cranes are amazing. And, you're right...they really need donations.
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