Yesterday morning on my way to feed / water Ms. Melman & Nugget, I saw this poor thing caught up in the neighbor's fence:
I rushed back home, told Paul to grab wire snips, gauntlet gloves and the cat carrier and we came back to try and get him out of the wire.
Not once did the owl flinch or kick or move. I was kind of expecting a lot of biting and clawing but he was obviously so drained from being in there he was just too exhausted to put a fight.
We got him out, but couldn't get the barbed wire out of his legs and wing without tearing more flesh, so just snipped off the pieces to get him free. One of the local Vets takes care of injured wildlife so I called ahead of time to warn them we were coming in with an injure Barred Owl.
The vet took the owl from us and we went back home to our regularly scheduled day. I called the vet's office a few hours later and they said that they had to put him down. There were just too many wounds and they weren't even sure he would have made it out of the surgery.
I felt terrible when I heard the news, although I was half-expecting that outcome. And of course, I've been kicking myself in the pants, saying that if I had been up earlier I would have found him sooner and maybe he would have had a better chance. I know, it's not my fault, but it still sucks. I guess I should focus on the fact that I did find him and he didn't have to sit there in the sun all day and suffer a slow death from heat exhaustion (it was a hot one yesterday).
Ironically, this little guy would have grown up to be a potential eater of my chickens. And even though I just rambled on about how many creatures I killed in my last post, I have a soft spot for some animals. Even if they do have a liking for free-ranging home-grown chicken.
:(
ReplyDeletePoor little guy
Aw, shucks. You hate to see that kind of thing happen, but you just have to believe that the little guy came to the end of the line . . . and you did all you could to see that he didn't suffer any more than he already had. Isn't it strange . . . you would feel a lot different about him if you saw him swoop down and pick up one of your half-grown chicks. It's all part of nature but it's hard to see any animal suffer. :o(
ReplyDeleteAww... too bad. While they may do a number on chickens, they also do quite a bit on mice and rabbits as well. Good for you that you went out of your way to help him. Too bad he didn't make it.
ReplyDeleteJudy
Sorry to hear about that, but you tried. A couple of years ago a small owl flew into the side of my wife's truck. We found it in the road, just sitting there dazed. Since my wife is a certified vet tech, we took it into the clinic where she works. They were able check it out and let it rest and recover in safety. We were able to release it along the same road were it hit us. So, it was worth a try. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't.
ReplyDeleteWell atleast you ended his suffering, and he knew you were trying to help him. Bless you!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry about the owl, and so happy that you tried. We need many more people in the world who will try, even when the odds aren't good. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteI worked for a vet that agreed to take in wild animals as a holding area before the rehabilitators could come and get them. I got to see all kinds of things, but my fav were the great horned owl babies. It made my day that I got to help them. Take comfort in knowing that this owl went quietly to sleep. Dying of exhaustion, dehydration, and heat stroke would have been a horrible way to go.
ReplyDeleteawwww. Yes, this story made me very sad because you know how much I like owls...but I'm glad you shared it as it just shows me that it's not all sunshine and rainbows down there in Krazo. (I know you are probably thinking who the hell said it's "sunshine and rainbow" but that is what I like to think.) Thanks for trying to save him. I wonder if he was the one that woke me up in the middle of the night last time we were down there.
ReplyDeleteThat was sad. Too bad.But like you said, he might have grown up and eaten your chickens.
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ReplyDeletePoor little guy! How in the world did he get himself tangled up in that wire?!? I'm glad you tried to help him and just know that you actually did help by not just leaving him there to suffer.
ReplyDeleteso sorry, what a beautiful animal! You did what you could though :(
ReplyDeleteWhat a tough experience to have to go through. You took a chance, and that was the right thing to do. Owls are amazing but I don't like hearing them outside at night. Of course the chickens are cooped up (literally) but the cat is out at night and we fear it makes him a target for a night hunter like an owl.
ReplyDeleteI dread finding injured animals :( You did the best that you could do for the poor little owl.
ReplyDelete