Other birds that can be viewed at the Raptor Center include the bald eagle, gyrfalcon, Harris's hawk as well as great horned, spectacled and barred owls. Woodland Park Zoo's Eagle Release Program has rehabilitated and released back into the wild more than 80 eagles, plus several other raptor species. Turkey vultures are widespread, and are not considered endangered. Turkey vulture numbers declined in the 1950s and 1960s, most likely due to pesticide contamination. The current increase in turkey vulture populations may be a result, in part, to the more controlled and safe use of poisonous pesticides.
All vultures play a valuable role in nature as scavengers.
Vultures quickly remove carcasses from the landscape before they rot and turn foul-smelling. Vultures can eat animals that have died from diseases such as anthrax or botulism and not get sick themselves. In this way they help to prevent the spread of disease. Efforts to save threatened and endangered birds require cooperation and support at international, national, regional and individual levels. You can help in this cause.