DDT, heavy metal poisoning and loss of habitat nearly wiped out bald eagle populations in the 1960s and 1970s - by the time DDT was banned in 1972, there were fewer than 450 breeding pairs of bald eagles left in the continental United States. In 1978, the bald eagle was added to the Endangered Species List. Through both rehabilitation and research, the Alaska Raptor Center seeks a better understanding of what is normal in the health and life of bald eagles. In addition to releasing hundreds of bald eagles back into the wild over the years, the Center has provided eagles to breeding programs in the lower 48 states. Through rehabilitation and placement efforts, the Alaska Raptor Center has had a helping hand in the resurgence of bald eagle populations, resulting in the nation's symbol being removed from the endangered species list in July 1999 and downlisted to "threatened." Now, the bald eagle population is estimated to be about 100,000, with half of those found in Alaska. |
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