Blaze Claims 10 Falcons Peregrine Fund President Mourns Loss Of Breeding Stock

Fire swept through a barn at the World Center for Birds of Prey on the southern Idaho desert early Monday, killing 10 falcons important to conservation efforts.

The cause of the fire was believed to be electrical, said Peregrine Fund president Bill Burnham. It broke out before midnight in a barn where breeding stock for Peregrine and Aplomado falcons is housed for a national program to restore populations of the two species.

Burnham said a biologist who had just returned from releasing some birds into the wild discovered the blaze, but the structure was engulfed so quickly nothing could be done to save it.

It cost about $100,000 when it was built in 1984. But, Burnham said, “It’s the birds that are the great tragedy and loss.”

“Fortunately, this year’s breeding season was complete so we have young destined to go to the wild,” Burnham said. “But it will take some time to recover. It takes three or four years for birds to begin breeding.”

The center, located about eight miles south of Boise, has also been involved in restoration efforts for the California Condor. Burnham said those birds were not affected.