A Barred Owl's Story
A
Barred Owl hunting for food in Lamar County was gravely injured when its wing
became snared by a barbed wire fence. The bird struggled throughout the hours of
darkness to free its wing, but its struggles only served to twist the barbed
wire more deeply into the wing.
A
Conservation Officer cut the barbed wire to free the bird, but it was too late
the day to get the bird to the Wildlife Center for treatment. Instead, Wildlife
Center staff member Lee McDonald, who lives in
Tuscaloosa, cared for the bird at home overnight. Lee
worked for over an hour to remove the 3 inch piece of
barbed wire that was still tangled in the wing. The
next day, volunteer veterinarian Dr. Carl Grimmet at Grayson Valley Pet Clinic
cleaned and sutured the wounds. The damaged wing
required a month of painstaking daily treatments by the
Center's Raptor Intern, Jessica Leonard.
Miraculously, the wound healed, and the owl was finally moved to a flight cage, to regain strength and mobility. In the spacious and comfortable flight cage, the owl regained its health, but it took two months of exercise for the bird's flight to become completely normal.
On Friday, December 15, Lee McDonald transported the owl back to Lamar County, and released it in its home territory, not far from the location where it was originally found.
Please help us continue to care for Alabama's native wildlife and participate in more wonderful success stories such as this one. Click Here to make a donation. It will mean so much to an injured wild creature!
