They Grow Up So Fast :')
The Raptor Center can only provide a loving and safe home for new ambassadors like Odin and Timber because of you, the public. As both of our studious great horns make their way through ‘ambassador university’ the cost of doing so is about $50 a day for each owl, covering the cost of leading training sessions, enriching housing, fresh food, and expert medical care.
You can help our owls reach graduation day by supporting our work with a gift to The Raptor Center, helping to jumpstart their bright futures inspiring generations to come.
Raptor University Curriculum
1. Getting acclimated to new housing space
2. Being introduced to human exposure - movements, sights, sounds
3. Trust building with staff trainer
4. Learning cues for communication
5. Learning basic behaviors with operant reinforcement (stepping onto a glove, getting on and off a scale, perching on glove while moving in different TRC spaces)
6. Moving into enclosure in TRC’s public courtyard and adapting to its new surroundings
7. Appearing in first tour appearance at TRC
8. Participating in first group program at TRC
9. Crate training to prepare for offsite programming
10. Transport training to get accustomed/comfortable traveling in TRC’s raptor vans
11. Making first off-site program appearance
12. Graduation day!
Get To Know Our New Owls
Timber
This young great horned owl came to TRC in early May, after venturing out of the nest and into a bit of trouble. We suspect she is female. She was admitted into our hospital with small but stable cataracts in both eyes, a condition commonly caused by trauma like taking a big fall out of the nest. She also had two fractures, one in each of her wings, that both healed very well. Despite being in great physical shape after the fractures healed, the vision impairment of cataracts would prevent her from being an effective huntress in the wild, and therefore making her unfit for release.
However, her personality and temperament were gentle and sweet, both promising qualities in a potential future ambassador. In our continued efforts to provide her with a second chance at life, staff began evaluating and working with her to see if we could offer her a forever home here at TRC. Our little owl quickly took to working with education staff and showed an eagerness to participate and learn.
Today, she is getting comfortable in her new digs in our education courtyard enclosures and shows her curiosity as tour groups pass by. What makes her special? While most great horned owls develop gray or brown mature feathers, this little one is displaying an orange tinge on some of her front body feathers that makes her a unique beauty.
Odin
In late March, TRC received a call about a very young baby owl that had fallen from the nest. The bird had internal trauma and bruising, and had also damaged the left eye. Thankfully, the owl arrived at our hospital just in time for our expert staff to prevent life threatening complications. Our amazing veterinarians skillfully removed his injured eye and staff was able to then nurse him back to good health. However, one eye would not allow him to survive and thrive in the wild, so we evaluated a different way to offer him a second chance.
His curiosity and willingness to participate in new things was quickly noted. While we do not want wild owls to socialize with humans, this little one continued to show interest in meeting and interacting with staff members, making him an excellent candidate as an education ambassador.
Today, he is adjusting to life in our education mews. What makes him a special owl? This little guy is very curious! He is always up to something and loving playing with all his toys. Unless it is nap time, you likely wont see hime sitting still for very long.
Are you itching to see our newest young ambassadors? Visit us today and you might just have the chance to meet our incredible feathered ambassadors, so long as they are not in training behind the scenes during your time of visit. During your tour you will learn about the fascinating world of raptors, and discover how we can all work together to protect our birds and the environment we share.