Cricket201904

(Lars) #1
Once there, Dr. Dana Franzen Klein, a
wildlife veterinarian, examined the baby bird.
She could see that its wing was bruised. She
could feel a fracture in its left leg and hear a
crackling sound in its lungs. The wing would
heal on its own. The leg needed a splint. And
theowletwouldhavetobeplaced in an oxy-
gen chamber. But Dr. Dana was confident
that, with proper treatment, the young raptor
would fully recover.
After Dr. Dana completed her procedures,
another rehabilitation specialist, disguised in
agrass-nettedhattonotlooklikeahuman,
hand-fedthehungrybirdamealofchopped
mice.Theowlet,notgivenanameinthe
hope that it would someday be released
back into the wild, then dozed off to
sleep.Owlet#16-0097wasonits
waytorecovery.
Afewdayslater,thelittle
birdwashoppingaboutand
making noise. Its health
was improving! Until it
fully recovered, the owlet
waskeptinapetcarrier

in the center’s inten-
sive care unit. Papa
G’Ho was placed
in a crate nearby.
Those caring for
the owlet knew how
important it was for
the baby to imprint
on a bird of its kind. The owlet needed to
know what a great horned owl looks like, what
it sounds like, how it moves, how it acts. That
way, the baby would be able to do the same.
Watching Papa wa s ke y.
After several weeks, the Wildlife Center
staff moved the growing baby to an outside
flight enclosure—a caged area large enough
for the owls to take short flights. Inside the
enclosure, Papa was waiting.
The owlet had much to learn from Papa
if it would ever be released back into the wild.
At first, Papa gathered food for the baby bird
and dropped its meal in front of it, just as a
wild great horned owl papa would do. Papa

Did You Know?
Great horned owls
swallow their small prey
whole, later regurgitating a
pellet made of undigested
fur, claws, feathers, skulls,
and bones.

ARAPTOR
IS A BIRD
OF PREY.

AREN’T
THEY ALL?
(SHIVER)


Feeding a recovering owlet
without looking human
14
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