WildCare staff stays close to the triage table, ready to rehabilitate the injured and sick wild animals that come through the nonprofit’s door. This month, however, they encountered a particularly sticky situation.
A great horned owl tangled with a glue trap, leaving him flightless.
In Novato, a rescuer found the hurt bird and contacted Marin Humane to deliver him to WildCare’s Wildlife Hospital. An initial exam revealed chunks of the trap glued to his chest feathers and abdomen.
Thin and dehydrated, he apparently had tried to free himself, tearing away some of the trap. But his entire right wing was stuck together.
Clinic manager Julie Lesznar and her team feared the adult owl would be in care for a year or more because his primary wing feathers were bent and misshapen.
“We thought he was going to have to go through a molt in order for those feathers to return back to normal,” Lesznar said.
They began treating him by taking off the larger pieces of the glue trap, then removing matted feathers from his feet and wings. When the patient became stressed from handling, the team stopped and left a bathing dish, hoping he would preen.
By morning, the wise owl had done just that.
Next, they sedated him and performed a detailed cleaning of his feathers. Instead of a long stay, he recovered in five days.
WildCare veterinarian Dr. Juliana Sorem released him near where he was found.
While this owl had a happy ending, glue traps send a dozen or more animals a year to WildCare. It discourages use of the product.
Found an injured, sick or orphaned animal? Call WildCare’s hotline at 415-456-7283 or visit discoverwildcare.org.
