12/09/2025
He was successfully returned to the wild! 🦅
💬 Red-Shouldered Hawk Overcomes Emaciation
A tour guide for Death Valley National Park found an emaciated hawk sitting puffed up on the Badwater Basin. He transported it to the visitor center, who had someone transport it to Wildcare Eastern Sierra.
We did an exam and found that the bird was extremely emaciated, and was so weak on intake that he couldn’t even stand. We started him on emaciation protocol immediately. We thoroughly hydrated him with subcutaneous fluids before starting a routine of fluids and EmerAid Intensive Care Carnivore. He remained on the EmerAid for four days while he gained enough strength to be weaned back onto whole food.
After he began to eat and gain strength on his own, we worked him back up into a flight cage to prepare for release. By the time he was ready for release, he had gained two times his weight! He was successfully returned to the wild.