Rescue, rehab, and release: The story of a great horned owl

Occasionally, a wild animal gets into trouble due to injury or disease and can no longer fend for itself. This usually spells the end if the animal can’t forage or defend itself. Sometimes, injured wildlife is found by well-meaning people who try to treat and raise the animal. This usually does not work, because these animals require specialized care and diet. Also, young animals can acquire human imprinting, after which they cannot be expected to survive in the wild.

But the luck was in for one great horned owl in dire straits recently. On October 9, Greta Schwesinger of Damascus, PA found a weak and emaciated great horned owl in her backyard. It was perched just off the ground, unable to fly. If left in the wild, this owl would have died within a few days. Fortunately, Greta called the Delaware Valley Raptor Center (DVRC) in Milford, PA.

Bill Streeter, director of the center, drove up to retrieve the owl and bring it to the center’s clinic. It was found to be a female adult that weighed only two pounds, five ounces. Female great horned owls can weigh four pounds or more in the wild. X-rays and examination showed no apparent injuries, but the owl seemed to favor its right wing during capture and initial observation. In addition, trematodes—a small worm-like parasite that can cause problems to an owl already in a weakened state—were found in the mouth area.

After almost three weeks of care involving examinations, feeding and flight testing, the owl was given a clean bill of health and deemed ready to be released back to the wild. On a sunny afternoon on October 25, Ki Ki D (the name that Greta had given this bird when she found it) was taken back up to where she was found and released. Ki Ki D wasted no time in departing her human caregivers; she flew off and perched in a high tree in the thick mixed forest, perhaps to collect herself and re-acquaint herself with the territory. Perhaps, too, she may have been giving thanks as only owls can.

For more information on how to rescue a raptor, visit the DVRC at dvrconline.org.