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When wild birds of prey are injured, rehabbers aim to fix damage done by other humans

By , Daily Memphian Published: February 22, 2026 4:00 AM CT

It’s the morning of the Super Bowl, but Nick Smith doesn’t realize this — he isn’t a football fan and hasn’t watched the game in a few years.

His mind is elsewhere.

Wearing tall boots and thick gloves, he’s standing in a big cage at the Mid-South Raptor Center near Shelby Farms, and he’s about to try to catch a rehabilitated barred owl that will be set free if the vet gives the OK.

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Topics

Subscriber Only Mid-South Raptor Center Shelby Farms Meeman-Shelby Forest State Park birds of prey

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John Klyce

John Klyce is an enterprise reporter with The Daily Memphian who writes a wide range of in-depth features, as well as profiles about local leaders, scientists, musicians, artists, entrepreneurs, and anyone else doing exciting and important work in this city. He previously spent four years with the Memphis Business Journal, where he covered public companies, startups, and innovation, and a fifth year with The Commercial Appeal, where he covered education, and chronicled how gun violence and poverty were affecting Memphis youth and their families. He has also been a fellow with the Institute for Citizens and Scholars. John has a B.A. in journalism from the University of Memphis and an M.F.A. in creative writing from Boston University.


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