In May of this year, The Raptor Center (TRC) lost a beloved team member of its education program, a bald eagle called Maxime. She was a special eagle in temperament and poise who was always ready and willing to share with the public what raptors can teach. In her passing, Maxime joined a team of ambassadors who might not have been releasable back into the wild due to injury or illness but instead inspired over one million people with a love of raptors. TRC couldn’t honor its history without honoring the legacy of a few of its most impactful raptor ambassadors.

Leuc: Bald eagle ambassador from 1983 to 2014 Leuc was one of the first TRC raptor ambassadors and became a rockstar in his own right. He traveled to Washington, D.C., with Dr. Pat Redig, one of TRC’s co-founders and its first executive director, to help bolster a bill to ban the use of lead ammunition for hunting waterfowl in the ‘90s. During his tenure at TRC, Leuc played a vital role in helping share the importance of bald eagles in the ecosystem and the challenges threatening their existence.

Odie: Barred owl ambassador from 1991 to 2010 Odie was an endearing raptor ambassador whose name was short for ocular disorder, the permanent injury he sustained after colliding with a vehicle. For close to 20 years, thousands of people were enamored with Odie as he visited schools and public events. He instilled in people a great appreciation for owls and their roles in the wild.

Annie: Peregrine falcon ambassador from 1996 to 2017 Annie was part of the peregrine falcon monitoring project in the Midwest. During her first migration, she suffered a permanent injury while crossing Missouri and was transported back to Minnesota for care at TRC. Annie was full of personality and an amazing ambassador for her species during a critical time in its history.

Artemis: Peregrine falcon ambassador from 2004 to 2021 Artemis, often fondly referred to as Artie, was a crucial member of the TRC education team. She often was the first bird many new handlers held on the glove as she had a rare, patient temperament for a peregrine. It is estimated that she participated in more than 5,000 programs reaching more than 500,000 people.

Jamaica: Red-tailed hawk ambassador from 1987 to 2017 For the first 25 years of her life at TRC, Jamaica helped teach every new handler, both staff and volunteers alike, best practices in handling and interacting with raptor ambassadors. In exceeding her species average life expectancy by more than a decade, she also helped our knowledge grow in the developing field of geriatric raptor care.

Nero: Turkey vulture ambassador from 1996 to 2022 Nero was a charismatic vulture who taught many about the vital importance of scavengers. Nero hatched in 1978 and before joining TRC, acted as a model for a team of researchers at the University of Wisconsin who were developing wing bands and radio transmitters for the extremely endangered California Condor.

Photos by TRC staff