For someone who’s had a hand in the release of more than 10,000 rehabilitated birds of prey, Pat Redig seems to have a tough time being set free himself.
Redig is co-founder and former director of the Gabbert Raptor Center on the University of Minnesota’s St. Paul campus. His supposed last day of work was June 8, when he retired, the Pioneer Press reported.
Yet here he was a week later, standing in a narrow passage tucked behind the public exhibits, speaking casually about bird anesthetics and sporting a necktie covered in eagles. It’s the same place he’s been seen regularly even after retirement.
Raptors aren’t simply an interest of Redig’s — they’re the topic that gives him life. To call them a hobby would be an insult.
In layman’s terms, a raptor is a bird of prey, all of which have hooked beaks, exceptional eyesight, talons and a carnivorous diet.
“I can’t remember a time where I haven’t been totally fascinated by them,” Redig said.
