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Recent Rescues

Barn owl. I took him out to the zoovets because he seemed to have a vision problem. Tim The Vet said he was blind in one eye, which means he can't be released. Tim is talking about putting him in a captive care programme but National Parks policy says the owl has to be euthanased. I'm going to pass this on to the experts, but I hope the owl gets a paper euthanasia and goes into care. He's really fit and healthy, apart from being blind, and has taken to captivity like a champion.

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ohhhhh..

paws crossed.. paper euthanisation.

...so everyone may think that it was done.

I love the power or paperwork.

I really hate how pwoplw just wave their hand and "oh well, we dont want to deal with it, put it to sleep"

Dont we have a duty to these animals to help them? You are such a great person. I really hope you can find a place for this guy to go.

It's not possible to put every injured animal into permanant care. If they can't be released into the wild they should be euthanased. This owl, for instance, would starve to death if it was released so euthanasia is a quicker, kinder way to let nature take its course. However, this owl has really settled in to captivity which is highly unusual for a wild-born bird. I'd like to see him go into care because he seems totally unstressed by it.

I love animals and Ive volunteered at a few shelters and the audubon society so i do understand a lot of what happens and I would understand if the bird was stressed. it would be cruel to keep him, but in this case he has a chance. It just bothers me how quickly people seem to brush it off without even trying.

The vets have had him for almost 4 weeks, with 1 week in ICU and a following week of force-feeding, so a decision like this isn't taken lightly.

Often I get an animal and I can tell by looking that even trying would be stressful for the animal and ultimately a waste of time. In cases like that the choice to euthanase is easy, but I still feel like crap.

How incredibly pretty!

Hope all goes in his favor from this point on -

I wish there was a way to test its capability before euthanization is considered. Three years ago I saw a crow that had had almost all it's feathers missing from its right wing aside from those on the end. Believe it or not, this bird could still fly and land well. It just had to take a little longer about it. I observed it for a week on and off, and it had no trouble catching or finding food. Then again, I live in an urban area. Is blindness in one eye that much of a challenge? The bird looks healthy and unless the reason it was recused is cause for the blindness it may still be quite capable. I also notice one eye is bigger than the other.

"I don't have to get my own dinners; they bring them to me on a plate 'round here!":).

That is a beautiful owl. It deserves to live!

Owls need their ears and eyes for finding prey, and have excellent depth perception compared to other birds because of the front placement of their eyes. One blind eye can make the difference between eating and not eating. :/

We have barn owls here, too. They're stunning animals.

I can see their point, but that's really sad. Could someone not adopt him? Here's hoping he gets spared the death sentence. He's gorgeous and owls are such awesome birds.

The zoovets are trying to arrange captive care, but it's up to National Parks to make the decision.

AWK! Why does it need euthanized if it can go into captive care?

Pretty little thing. Like I said to

lanakila, we don't have that variety down here in Florida. Ours are mostly burrowers. We do have a larger type but they're not terribly bright. The one in my yard likes flying into trees or landing on branches which are too heavy for him. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with him, he's just stupid.

It's possible he has a slight vision problem, like a partial blindness in one eye; enough to see by but enough to impair him. This owl is totally blind in one eye.

Of course, he may also just be stupid.

Poor guy! Well, he seems to hunt well enough. I've tried getting the wildlife guys out here to snare and examine him but they don't seem interested. Florida's wildlife people are notoriously lax when it comes to doing their jobs.

It's really difficult and time consuming to catch a wild beastie that can fly. Trust me, I know. 8)

If you or Simtra can catch him take him to a zoo. However, if the owl seems to be surviving okay even with headbutting trees it's possible he's adjusted to his disability and you don't have to worry.

Find out if vets at a local zoo will examin wild animals. They're happy to help here, so I can't imagine they're different over there. It's important to ask about this before you take the bird there.

If possible, catch the bird when he's sitting on the ground. He'll be a little dazed and confused after hitting a tree. Throw a towel over him and wrap hime up well. Gloves are probably a good idea. Try to ruffle his feathers as little as possible. Owls require feather integrity in their hunting.

A good indication of how well he's hunting is to feel the breast bone. If it pokes out like a keel further than his pectoral muscles then he's not doing so well. It should be sunken into the chest, like our sternum. If his pupils react to light differently, or are different sizes, then he quite possibly has a head injury. It will take an expert to determin other injuries.

If you decide he should see a vet, place him in a dark box that is large enough for him to stand in. Poke a thick branch through the box a few inches off the floor of the box so he has somewhere to perch. And while transporting him you have to minimize noise, so no radios or CDs while the bird is in the car.

There. You've just had my crash-course in owl rescue. 8)

I don't think we'll be able to catch this fellow. He flies incredibly well and the blows don't seem to stun him. It's like one of those cartoons: he starts flying near dusk and then slams into a tree. He drops, usually grabs a branch and steadies. Then he tries again. On the nights we can't see him, we hear him. Most of the time the branches he tries for arent' big enough to hold him. He's absolutely huge too, about a foot and a half tall. If I knew what kind of owl he was, I might be able to track down his daytime resting place. The Jacksonville zoo goes indeed examine wild beasties and there are several raptor rescue organizations in the area.

I tried, but we weren't able to catch him. He's too quick for us. He appears to be in fairly good condition though so maybe his sight isn't as badly damaged as first thought.

It would be a shame to euthanize him. Here in Colorado we have the Rocky Mountain Raptor Program (http://www.rmrp.org/), a group that takes in injurned raptors. They rehabilitate and release if they can, but they also keep some of those that can't be released but are still healthy and have taken well to captivity. They go to schools and renaissance festivals and county fairs and such and bring their birds and use them for education and fundraising. Is there something similar in Australia? I'm sure the RMRP would keep the owl and not euthanize him, since you said he was healthy otherwise and was doing well in captivity.

There aren't enough cages to take every bird like this into care. If he was a boobook or barking owl, which are listed as vulnerable, there wouldn't be a debate, but barn owls are the most common owl in the world. Got mice? Got barn owls.

Interesting... I don't think we have barn owls in NZ. Morepork (native owls) yes, barn owls no.

oh, and falconry is illegal here. Only some zoos and specially licenced educational centres have raptors and owls for showing.

Merf. Poor guy. I'm hoping it works out. He looks okay in the picture here, I'd have never known he was blind.

That said, and off topic, I have a quickie render request for ya when you have the chance...

Lizard Rat out.
Owl Flavored in Albany NY

Email the details. I can only do machines and architecture, and limited organic structures.

batty

He is a real sweetie - best of luck to him :)

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Recent Rescues

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So It is Written

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Nice looking owl -

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