A one-month-old Great Horned Owl is recovering after strong, gusty winds most likely blew the bird out of a tree during the storms last week.
Animal Control Officer Julie Bixby rescued the animal Saturday and the wide-eyed youngster is now in the care of Project Wildlife. They were able to pick up the raptor within an hour of the bird’s arrival at Animal Services. The owl will spend the next couple months learning how to fly in a flight cage and then will be turned loose.
“Whenever we do rescue a sick or injured wild animal, we are lucky that we have Project Wildlife here in San Diego,” says Lt. Dan DeSousa, “Their group of dedicated volunteers is always willing to pick up animals and nurse them back to health with the intent of releasing them back into the wild.”
This collaborative effort is so strong that Project Wildlife has a seasonal office at the Animal Services shelter in Carlsbad. It opened today for baby bird season, which is the busiest for bird problems at Project Wildlife. The office will allow Animal Control Officers and the public to deliver rescued wildlife to Project Wildlife in the North County for temporary housing until the animals can be taken to the main facility in San Diego.
