Service Animal Policy and Procedures

The Audubon Center for Birds of Prey is committed to complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) while providing a great experience for our guests and a safe place for the raptors under our care. We welcome guests with disabilities who wish to bring their Service Animals into the Center with them. However, certain portions of the Center are restricted areas.

The Audubon Center for Birds of Prey has a no pets allowed policy. The definition of a service animal by the ADA is any dog or miniature horse that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of common tasks and work provided by service animals may be guiding the blind, attending the deaf, drafting or pulling wheelchairs, alerting and protecting a person experiencing a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, or calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack. The work or task a service dog or miniature horse has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Service animals are working animals, not pets.

Emotional support, therapy, comfort, or animals that provide comfort just by being with a person are not considered service animals because they have not been trained to perform a specific job or task. Therefore, they do not qualify as service animals under the ADA and shall not be admitted to the Center.

Admission procedure for guests with service animals:

• Please check in with your service animal at the Guest Relations Ticketing window when arriving to the Center, as well as when you exit to notify them that you’re leaving. 

• If it is not readily apparent to staff that the animal is a trained service dog or miniature horse, staff shall not inquire about or discuss the guest’s disability, but instead ask:

                - Is the service animal required because of a disability?

- If the answer is “yes,” then: What work or task has the animal been trained to perform?

• Service Animal must be leashed, harnessed or tethered while on premises.
• If the permanent resident raptors are visibly upset or agitated by the service animal’s presence, the guest and service animal must move on immediately or proceed off premises.
• Restricted areas are parts of the Center where service animals are not allowed.  Restricted areas for service animals are:
  • The Audubon House Porch - where the small bird ambassadors are found
  • Raptor Trauma Clinic
  • Any behind-the-scenes areas such as the rehabilitation barns and service building.
  • Other restricted areas may be added for a limited time on an as-needed as needed basis.

Thank you for your cooperation as we strive to provide a safe and positive experience for you, your service animal and the birds at the Center. We hope your visit will be an excellent experience. If you need assistance during your visit, please contact any staff member or volunteer at the Guest Relations ticketing window.