owl save you:
A Case of a Rehabilitated
Juvenile Barred Owl
Courtesy Northsong Wild Bird Rehabilitation
Let's explore our first case study!
It's 10 a.m. in the morning and you are giving
medicine to the wild birds currently in the
hospital. The doorbell rings. You wonder who it
could be. After setting down your medicine tray,
you walk to the admissions area and notice a
person with a cardboard box under their arm.
"Good morning," they say cheerfully, "I found a
baby bird this morning and I think it is hurt. I was
hoping you guys could try to make it better."
"Absolutely! We will do our best," you
respond, and you take the cardboard box from
the person before telling them goodbye. You take
the box to the treatment area where you and your
medical team will evaluate this mystery bird and
see what you can do to help it.
Your medical team members get ready to
identify the bird. They quietly peek into the box,
trying hard not to scare the bird.
"It's small," they tell you quietly. "It has a curved beak and very
sharp talons."
"Ah!" you say excitedly. A curved, pointed beak and sharp talons are
classic characteristics of a raptor, or bird of prey. You get your raptor
gloves on for safety and carefully lift the injured bird out of the box.
After evaluation, you identify the raptor as a juvenile barred owl. It is
young and likely fell out of its nest while learning to fly. Your medical team
takes some radiographs and you study the images carefully. What do you
see?
This juvenile barred owl must have landed on his leg because its bone is
broken all the way through. Fractures that are this severe require surgery
to make the leg usable again. Your medical team prepares the little owl
for surgery, then you fix its leg by placing some pins on the inside and
outside of the broken bone. The owl will stay in the hospital with you for
about five weeks and the pins will be removed during another surgery.
Once the barred owl's leg has healed, you send it outside to practice
flying. Since it came in as a baby, you have to make sure that it is flying
quietly and correctly before release.
Finally, after months of hard work, this juvenile owl is ready for release.
You send the barred owl back into the wild, smiling that the community,
your team and the owl's hard work has paid off.
Great job, you did it!
"Best Friends"
... make thE
4363 W Wedington Dr. • Fayetteville • 479-444-6600
www.WedingtonAnimalHospital.com
7:30am-10pm Monday-Friday • 9am-5pm Saturday & Sunday
"Best Friends"
www.officialKidsMag.com • June 2023 • 29
