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Wisconsin center hopes GPS can help track healed birds

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — A Madison group that cares for injured wildlife is hoping to outfit rehabilitated raptors with GPS units to track their recovery.

A Wisconsin Public Radio report says it often takes months to help an eagle, hawk or other raptor heal from a broken wing. When the birds are finally released, rescuers don’t know how many survive.

So the Four Lakes Wildlife Center is planning to outfit birds with GPS devices. That’ll help officials learn what sort of injuries birds are most able to recover from, leading to a more effective allocation of resources.

Jackie Edmunds is a wildlife coordinator with the Madison center. She says in absence of actual data, officials have assumed “happily ever after” outcomes. She says the $40,000 GPS plan would provide valuable educational insight.

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