Raptor Rehabilitation Volunteer Rescues Injured Birds

For Lori Sewell of Auburn, Alabama, working with birds has always been a passion. Lori, who has been with Veracity for five and a half years in the sales department, volunteers at a local raptor center to help rehabilitate injured and abandoned raptors and songbirds.

Her volunteer work began several years ago when she started to take in and care for orphaned songbirds that fell out of their nests. She quickly became a go-to resource for providing care for injured and abandoned birds in her community, and her passion eventually led her to the Southeastern Raptor Rehabilitation Center. Lori has now logged over 500 hours working with the raptors, assisting with the cleaning, feeding, and medication of the center’s birds.

Besides being a medical resource for the community’s injured raptors, the facility also provides Auburn University with its famous War Eagles. These amazing birds soar above the stadium before kickoff at their home football games and have even made an appearance at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.

But for Lori, one of the most rewarding parts of volunteering is educating the community about wildlife conservation. “We have a lot of special needs camps that we travel to throughout the state and we do releases for them during their camp time,” Lori says. “That is always fun.”

But raptors do more than inspire awe, Lori says. These predators are an essential part of an ecosystem, controlling the population of rodents and other pests and preventing the spread of disease. She adds, “Most people don’t know how important raptors are to the health of the community.”

Working with the facility has also been a great way for Lori’s family to spend time together doing something they all enjoy. Lori and her husband’s love for birds is something that was passed down from parents and grandparents, and something that they hope to pass down to their two young boys. “It is something our family is very passionate about, just getting out in the community and trying to volunteer and do as much as we possibly can,” Lori says.

Lori encourages anyone who has a raptor rehabilitation center nearby to volunteer and assist with conservation efforts, for the benefit of the community.