Hillside raven reported missing

The raven was no pet, but was living in captivity under a state Fish and Game permit after being hit by a vehicle two winters ago on the Parks Highway, said Kent Briske, executive director of the Houston-based Alaska WildBird Rehabilitation Center.

Its handler suspects someone stole it.

Robert Dowdy, a bird rehab center volunteer, has been caring for the raven for nearly two years and says he just wants the bird back, no questions asked.

"He's a wild bird. He's hard to handle. He can bite you and bring blood," Dowdy said. "Someone would find out fairly fast he's not a pet and release him."

Maybe someone didn't like seeing the wild bird caged. But it can't fly and wouldn't survive in the wild, according to the rehab center. Its injuries two years ago included a crushed wing and an injured leg, and it had a previously broken wing that had healed when it was found on the side of the highway, Briske said.

Dowdy, who lives near Hillside Drive and DeArmoun Road, discovered the bird was missing midday Saturday. Its enclosure, called a mew, was latched, but empty. The backyard gate was latched too. So the raven, smart as it is, didn't escape, Dowdy says.

The raven, about 4 years old and able to live 25 years or more in captivity, is one of eight birds cared for by center volunteers and used for public education. The center's main mission is to rehabilitate and release injured birds, but the education birds can't survive in the wild, Briske said.

Dowdy has posted fliers about the missing raven, his daughter put a notice on Craigslist, and the rehab center sent out an e-mail alert to birders.

"To think about him out there defenseless -- I am just worried sick," Dowdy said. Just consider the bird's regular diet: frozen mice and rats, fish, hamburger, boiled eggs and kitten food.

Anyone with information can call Briske at 230-7049.