Video Captures Moment ‘Fastest Animal on the Planet’ Set Free

A video from the Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) shows the moment wildlife officials released the “fastest animal on the planet” into the wild on Wednesday.
CPW staff acquired a peregrine falcon after a family in the Mancos area noticed the bird was injured and unable to fly at the end of March. A medical evaluation identified a severe soft tissue injury keeping the bird grounded. After nearly six months of recuperation at the CPW Frisco Creek Wildlife Rehab in Del Norte, the bird was well enough to return to its natural habitat this week.
“The peregrine falcon stayed with us all summer, slowly regaining strength in the flight cages until it began showing signs it could return to the wild,” the CPW said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday. “Its progress plateaued this month. With nothing more we could do, it was time to release this falcon back to the wild.”
Officials set the bird free on Wednesday, and a video captured the moment it took off into the wild.
A CPW spokesperson told Newsweek that the rehab center typically sees owls, hawks and eagles, although occasionally it rehabilitates peregrine falcons. This year, the center also rehabilitated mountain lions, fox kits and other animals, and it currently has more than a dozen orphaned bear cubs.
“District Wildlife Manager Andy Brown gave the falcon a little boost, and it flew off proudly around the property for several moments before flying out of sight,” the CPW said in the post that showed the falcon’s flight into the wild.
Videos and photos documented the bird’s release as it soared into the sky. The bird was released on the property where it was originally found.
“While this falcon’s wing was never able to fully tuck tight to its body as it normally would, it proved it can fly strong enough to still survive in the wild,” CPW said in the post. “Peregrines are the fastest animal on the planet, capable of reaching speeds of 240 mph when diving.”
Peregrine falcons are roughly the same size as crows. The species was endangered at one point when numbers dwindled because of the widespread use of the pesticide DDT in the 1960s and 1970s, but the population recovered enough to be delisted from the endangered species list in 1999. The pesticide has since been banned in the U.S., according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Peregrine falcons are still protected by the Migratory Bird Act. However, despite the species’ recovery, the National Audubon Society has expressed concerns that peregrine falcon numbers are once again falling, with some experts worrying about the impacts of avian flu on the species.