OWL (Orphaned Wildlife) Rehabilitation Society

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The OWL (Orphaned Wildlife) Rehabilitation Society is a wildlife rescue and raptor rehabilitation centre permitted to care for sick, injured, and orphaned birds of prey which includes eagles, falcons, hawks, ospreys, owls, and vultures.^[2][3] OWL is located in Delta, British Columbia, Canada.^[4][5]

History

OWL was founded in 1984 in response to growing needs to help with the care and rehabilitation of raptors. Originally operating out of a small home in Surrey, British Columbia, OWL relocated to its current location at 3800-72nd Street in Delta in 1985.^[6][7] OWL has been in operation for over thirty-five years.^[8]

Activities

OWL is dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of raptors only. They mitigate and respond to wildlife emergencies including weather events such as heatwaves,^[9] cold snaps, and wildfires, often ending up with over seven hundred raptors in care in a year.^[10][11]

The birds come from all over the province of British Columbia, with the majority coming from the Lower Mainland.^[12] On occasion, birds come from neighbouring provinces and the United States of America requiring different permits.^[13]

OWL has a strong network of volunteers who make sure the raptors in need get help. OWL also receives help from conservation officers, veterinary clinics,^[14][15] police officers, firefighters, highway maintenance workers, trucking companies,^[16][17] airlines,^[18] and community groups.

Wildlife hospital

OWL's hospital is open 7-days a week, 365-days a year to care for raptors in need. Wildlife rehabilitators and volunteers work together to provide care to the bird patients. The goal is always to release the rehabilitated raptors.

OWL's hospital houses a small surgical room, an intensive care unit (ICU), isolation rooms, a kitchen where the raptors’ food is kept, and an office area. OWL also has its own x-ray machine^[19] and equipment to test for lead poisoning.^[20] Local veterinarians assist, donating care and services when a raptor requires orthopedic surgery.

OWL has specialized enclosures to help raptors with their rehabilitation and conditioning prior to release. One of the enclosures houses a live trout pool (Pool Cage) where ospreys and bald eagles can practice fishing, while another enclosure, the length of a football field with multiple rooms and movable barn doors (Field Flights), is used for pre-release flight conditioning of bald eagles, golden eagles and other raptors.

Since its foundation in 1985, OWL has treated thousands of raptors, and treats an average of seven hundred birds every year.

Wildlife helpline

OWL is available 7-days a week, 365-days a year to answer calls from the public with questions regarding raptors in need. During events such as a heat dome,^[21][22][23] forest fires or cold snaps, phone calls from the public increase dramatically.

Programs

OWL has expanded its programs and the facility through public donations and the support of private companies who provide monetary donations, sponsorships of raptors in permanent care, materials and supplies to include a wildlife museum to the existing onsite and offsite education programs and to increase public awareness of the environmental impact people have on raptors and their natural world.

Through its volunteer work experience program, OWL helps provide practical skills to veterinary students, high school students, and volunteers from other countries.

Onsite and offsite education programs

OWL's primary goal is to rehabilitate and release sick, injured or orphaned raptors back into the wild. However, when a raptor suffers a permanent injury making them unable to survive in the wild and they adjust well to human contact, OWL gives them a second chance. They may become educational ambassadors, helping educate the public about raptors and environmental conservation or become foster parents to orphaned babies of their species and companions to other raptors undergoing rehabilitation at OWL.^[24]

OWL offers in-person presentations to schools and other venues such as libraries, long-term care facilities, day cares, and work gatherings all over the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley, and beyond. They also offer their education program virtually.^[25][26]

Work experience program

OWL provides work experience to veterinary students, high school students, and volunteers from various Canadian provinces and other countries who come to OWL to obtain practical skills in raptor rehabilitation, and raptor medical care and handling.

Events

Every year, OWL hosts an Open House – its largest fundraiser. The two-day event includes education talks about raptors, the release of a raptor on each day, meet and greets of the raptor ambassadors and other family-friendly activities.^[27][28][29]

OWL hosts a winter fundraiser where individuals can have their picture taken with Santa and his owl helper.^[30]

During July and August, OWL offers daily tours to the public. From September to June, the facility is only open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays.^[31]

Notable rescues

• OWL volunteers used a volleyball net, a front-end loader, a fire truck and six hundred feet of marine rope to rescue a juvenile bald eagle stuck in a water treatment settling pond in Richmond in 2019.^[32]
• In 2020, a northern saw-whet owl surrounded by a thick pile of feathers indicative of a cat attack was picked up by a volunteer for PROWLS on Old Mine Road, north of Powell River. It was flown to OWL in Delta to be treated. After seven weeks of rehabilitation, it was flown back to Powell River by Pacific Coastal Airlines and released back into the wild.^[33]
• In 2021, a barn owl being attacked by crows flew into the gap between pallet stacks at Art Knapp in South Surrey. OWL volunteer June Young attended & with the help of an Art Knapp worker using a forklift to move the first layer of pallets, June tried to ease the barn owl backwards. She had hold of the owl's wings and one leg, but the owl grabbed hold of June's bare arm with the free leg and buried its claws completely in June's arm. The owl was rescued and taken to OLW and June had to go to the emergency where she was prescribed antibiotics for her wound.^[34]
• Matt Pistell was driving 25 km north of 100 Mile House in the Interior in British Columbia one dark night in December 2022 when a large owl flew into his windshield. Pistell called his mom in a panic who told him to call his uncle who is a volunteer with OWL. Through the truckers who often assist OWL, the owl, referred to as Lucky, was transported to OWL in Delta. She had a concussion, damage to her right eye, and injuries to her left leg. In March 2023, after several months of rehabilitation, she was transported back to the Interior where she was released.^[35]
• OWL treated a trio of golden eagles for lead poisoning in 2024. All three were found near Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast. They were lethargic and not flying away. OWL believes the primary suspect of the lead poisoning is from ammunition used in hunting.^[36]
• On January 9, 2024, residents of Quesnel noticed an eagle who had been shot. The eagle suffered from lead poisoning and was shipped to OWL for rehabilitation via Bandstra Transportation Systems who provided the services pro bono. On April 11, 2024, the rehabilitated eagle was released at the West Fraser Timber Park in Quesnel where it was reunited with its riverside friend.^[37]
• In January 2024, Fort St. James residents Brad Hoy and his wife rescued an injured eagle, braving snowbanks to reach it. The Hoys secured the injured eagle in a dog crate and transported it to OWL. The eagle suffered from lead poisoning and a broken wing. The eagle was successfully rehabilitated and released back in the Fort St. James community in May 2024, where it soared back to freedom.^[38]

Funding

OWL is a not-for-profit charitable society that relies on donations from the public and the support of companies and corporations who provide donations, sponsorships, material, and supplies.

External links

• Official website - OWL Orphaned Wildlife

References