Cape Fear Raptor Center offers rehabilitation and care for injured birds

Joni Shimp first knew she wanted to practice medicine when she was a little girl. But it wasn’t until her iguana got sick that she found her true calling.

Now Dr. Shimp operates Rocky Point Animal Hospital and an affiliated nonprofit, the Cape Fear Raptor Center.

The Raptor Center opened in 2012 and sees about 400 birds a year. About a tenth of them are brought in by the public, she said. Most are brought in by law enforcement or Fish and Wildlife officials, or transferred from other centers.

A raptor is a bird of prey, one that feeds on other animals. They include eagles, hawks, falcons, osprey, vultures and owls.

Many of Shimp’s patients have been hit by cars. Others are poisoned, either by people like angry farmers or accidentally when they eat mice or rats that have eaten pesticides. A few are shot, and others eat lead shot or bullets.

They are vital links in the region’s chain of life.

About that iguana.

Growing up in Minnesota, Shimp had two passions.

“I was a horse-crazy child,” she said. And, “from the time I was a little girl, I always wanted to be a doctor.”

She was at the University of Minnesota when her pet iguana got sick.

The veterinarian taught her to give the animal injections.

“That made me go, ‘Oh my goodness, this is what I want to do,’” she recalled. “I could do medicine and do it on the animals that I love.”

Being a vet is like being a pediatrician, Shimp said, dealing with a patient and a “parent.”

“The human-animal bond has developed over 20 years, 25 years,” she said. “Now animals are incorporated into the family.”

People who own chickens may welcome the eggs, but they are willing to spend a lot of money when their pets get sick.

Pet insurance is a thing now, and emotional support animals are legally recognized.

Shimp came to N.C. State for her graduate work and opened Rocky Point Animal Hospital in 2006.

One day someone brought in a hawk that had been hit by a car.

“As a veterinarian, I had 24 hours to provide care and stabilize it, then I needed to transfer it to somebody who had a permit,” she said.

She transferred it to the Carolina Raptor Center in Charlotte, where she learned there was a need for someone to work with such birds in our area.

She took on the task, at one point returning to the University of Minnesota for training at its renowned Raptor Center.

There are three outcomes for birds that come into the Cape Fear Raptor Center.

Some are so sick or injured that they are euthanized on arrival. Others recover but can’t adapt either to life back in the wild – they may have lost their hunting skills – or to life in captivity.

“Some go crazy, absolutely hate the presence of people. They’re bound into cages, always trying to flee,” she said. “It’s horrible for them, not fair.”

They too are given a humane ending.

Some can be released back into the wild, able to hunt again and live free.

And some take to being cared for by people.

Some of her birds become ambassadors, educating the public – and particularly children – about the need to protect raptors.

She has about 25 volunteers who help her. Some help on the “rehab side,” caring for the birds. Others attend educational events on behalf of the Cape Fear Raptor Center, including a retired teacher who is very popular during school visits.

She believes reaching children is the key to her work.

“I love releasing birds and fixing one,” she said, “but the kids are the ones growing up who will take care of the environment,” she said. “If we take care of the environment, it will be around for generations to come.”

Title: Veterinarian who founded the nonprofit Cape Fear Raptor Center. She also runs Rocky Point Animal Hospital

Greatest challenge? Fundraising, Shimp says. She and volunteers go to public events with birds of prey to raise public awareness and also to ask for donations. She has been encouraged to grow the nonprofit but she turned down an offer of land to expand. Her veterinary practice supports the Raptor Center, and it’s difficult for her to focus on fundraising or nonprofit management while running the business.

Greatest reward? “Convincing someone that what I’m telling them is true,” she said. “There are a lot of people that do not believe you when say that vultures are really important to the ecosystem. When you get into a group of kids, all young, and say you like vultures, they say, ‘They’re gross!’ Then you start to explain all the things they eat” (and the benefits to the environment). “They go home and tell mom and dad never to hit another vulture,” she said. “That’s where I get my joy.”

More info: Visit www.capefearraptorcenter.org or email info@capefearr4aptorcenter.org.

About Dr. Joni Shimp