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News & Events
Anything But Net
From Volume 10 Issue 1 of Wildlife Tracks
Every year
the
Wildlife In Need Center receives many calls from people who’ve found
wildlife entangled in string, nets, or fishing line. This past
November, the Center received a call from the New Berlin Police
Department regarding a Great Horned owl . The large female owl was
found early on a Sunday morning, hanging by both wings, struggling
to free herself from a soccer net. Upon receiving the call, two
animal care volunteers (Lynn Rice and Jeannine Bladlow) headed out
to New Berlin to help the police remove the owl from the net. The
group worked diligently to free her without causing any more body or
feather damage. After about 20 minutes of maneuvering, and cutting
the net, the owl was finally free! Once rescued, she was transported
back to WINC to have her injuries examined. The owl was very
dehydrated from the inevitable loss of fluids from the lengthy
struggle she endured. In addition, a deep abrasion was found on the
patagium of her right wing due to the rubbing of the net. The
patagium is the webbing of feathers, skin, muscle, and tendons that
aid in extending and contracting the wing during flight. Although
the abrasion was small, the injury has not been an easy fix. She is
still currently at the center recovering from four minor surgeries
required to suture her patagium together. Because Great Horned owls
hunt at night, they rely more heavily on their hearing than their
sight, so it is likely that she didn’t see the net when swooping
down after her prey. Due to the dangers strings and nets can pose,
it is important to keep our wildlife friends in mind when leaving
kite string in a tree, broken fishing line on the ground, or soccer
nets up when not in use. If you or someone you know plays outdoor
soccer, suggest that the league take down the nets after the game or
tournament. It only takes a few minutes to save an owl or another
wild neighbor from serious injury. You can find more information
about our patients and photos for this story on our website at:
www.helpingwildlife.org/newsevents/featureanimal.htm
Archived Featured Animal
Stories Click on the links below to enjoy some of our favorite animal stories.
[Does Your Hedgehog Have a
Name?, Leslie Kiehl Wildlife Educator]
[Anything’s Possumable!: Nancy Meier, Animal Care Volunteer]
[A Duck Tail:
Casey Wieczorek, Animal Care Volunteer]
["These Boots Were Made for
HEALING!", Rebecca Jurena] |
