A fundraising drive is underway to pay for the "long overdue" replacement of two cages at UC Davis’ California Raptor Center.

The cages are nearly 25 years old: an eagle display (for nonreleasable golden eagles), and a mid-flight enclosure (used as both a flight training space and as an exhibit space for nonreleasable and education birds).

“These (new) enclosures will allow us to provide a better space for the birds and continue to provide memorable opportunities for visitors,” says a Web page devoted to the project.

The center, a sanctuary for rescued and rehabilitated raptors since 1972, receives administrative support from the School of Veterinary Medicine but relies on donations to help fund rehabilitation and facilities maintenance.

As of July 20, the raptor center reported it had raised $26,535, more than two-thirds of the project’s $35,000 price tag, “so we are going to start the process of upgrading the eagle enclosures.”

“But we still need to raise the rest of the money to complete the mid-flight caging. Help us get there by Aug. 1.”

Donations may be made here. Among your options: $150 to adopt Fuzzy, the golden eagle that has lived in the eagle cage since 1995, having been brought to the shelter that year after she flew into a wind turbine and suffered a broken wing.

Follow Dateline UC Davis on Twitter.