In Kenab, Utah, seven months ago, Wild Friends, the wildlife rehabilitation area, received a call from a Good Samaritan who reported finding a young great horned owl inside of a cement mixer.
The owl was rushed to the Sanctuary, and veterinary staff discovered much of his body including one wing had been coated in dried and drying concrete.
The first step to an extended rescue endeavor included putting the owl under anesthesia to remove the concrete. Short baths using mild dish soap, fingers and toothbrushes were used to help the owl regain the use of his feathers.
The next step became more involved and confusing for the staff:
… With time would come the owl’s spring molt of his damaged feathers that prevented him from flying silently.
Without silent flight, he wouldn’t be able to hunt in the wild, so he continued his recovery at Wild Friends.
The molt, however, did not go as planned, and damaged feathers remained.
Now came the next procedure when the recovery team trained for a specialized course called imping. This procedure adheres donor feathers to the owl (from another great horned owl that had passed away) to the shafts of the damaged feathers that had been cut.
It had been an intricate procedure where the feathers were checked every few weeks – measured and set to the patterns of the owl’s own feathers. Each damaged feather was precisely placed.
The team couldn’t just release the young owl without checking out the success of his wing implants and if they achieved the silent fly criteria, so he was brought to aviary to test his flight and measure the sound of his wing beats.
Using a decibel reader, Bart measured the noise level and determined the owl could safely return to the wild. He was flying successfully to the highest perches in the aviary.
The young owl was freed, and it was a glorious sight to watch his soar into the sky and disappear into the wilderness. It was the outcome his rescuers at Wild Friends had hoped to achieve, and it was another precious life saved because people care.
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