Ohio Wildlife Rehabilitators Association

In May of 2023, the Ohio Military Reserve’s Defense Force personnel reached out to OWRA for help regarding a wildlife issue and the destruction of expensive property used in disaster relief support. Drones utilized in emergency support functions to locate people during disasters or to help life-support equipment negotiate through terrain where visibility is poor on ground, were being destroyed by territorial birds of prey, notably, the Red-tailed Hawk. Soldiers unknowingly conducted training on the use of drones in areas where Red-tailed Hawks were nesting and, feeling threatened by the equipment, the birds reacted aggressively and attacked and destroyed the equipment. The Brigadier General, State Defense Forces Commander, asked OWRA for help. OWRA Board Members collaborated with centers across Ohio who specialize in Raptors, to come up with solutions to mitigate these losses such as (1) adding omni-directional cameras to the drones so they can see the birds of prey coming and drop out of reach (2) using rehabilitators to help them determine best training times when birds are not mating or have active nests in the training area. The Ohio Military Reserve was grateful for the support and explanation why this behavior was occurring. OWRA was equally grateful for the organization’s willingness to figure out a mutually beneficial solution to the problem!