From Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center of Roanoke
Why are we squirting that poor little owl with water?? 🤔
Because it's #PreReleaseDay! 😍
This Eastern Screech Owl (Megascops asio) has been through a lot over the winter, but has finally reached the final stretch of rehabilitation!
When a vehicle strike damaged this patient's right eye beyond repair, our veterinarians opted to remove the eye to prevent further pain or infection. In owls, this process is called evisceration, since we remove the material inside the boney scleral ring and suture the eye closed.
Most raptors are not releasable with just one eye. But owls' advanced hearing allows them to adapt, hunting and detecting predators nearly as well as a two-eyed bird!
Over the last few months, this patient has demonstrated that they can catch live prey despite their handicap. At the same time, our staff have "flown" this owl around their enclosure to ensure that they have the physical conditioning needed to hunt and escape predators.
For Pre-Release Day, our vet and rehab staff examine the patient's eye(s), ears, nose, mouth, vent, feet condition, flight feather condition, and waterproofing quality. While owls can become soaked during heavy rains, they still have a lesser degree of waterproofing needed to keep themselves warm and safe!
By the time this post goes out, this bird will have passed pre-release with flying colors, and is back in their wild home! 🦉❤️
