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HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2015-08-19, Page 15Owl almost dies in cow manure Shaun Gregory Huron Expositor A nocturnal bird of prey swooped in on some cow manure and ended up in the surprise of its life. After finishing some crops in the field, dairy farmer Heather Ritzema, noticed a large male owl covered in liquid manure, by the movements of the bird, she knew it was upset or injured. "It was bizarre," she said finding an animal that large in such an awkward predicament. It appeared the owl could not fly away because the liquid seemed to have weak- ened the bird. "They're just so beautiful, those Great Horned Owls, lovely ani- mals," Ritzeme said. Being an ani- mal lover, the Seaforth farmer knew she had to help this dis- traught creature. "He was kind of scared of us, so we thought let's leave and maybe nightfall will encourage him to go on his own," Ritzema said. They left a plank out so the owl could have a solid spot to stand on. Not much changed, the next day the bird was still in the same coor- dinates said Ritzema. The bird was clearly unsettled from the liquid manure Ritzema said. She decided to call Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation and Edu- cation Centre, an organization that's been rehabilitating animals for more than 30 years. The expe- rienced organization told the Seaforth farmer that she would have to bring the owl in, which meant capture it and deliver it. Ritzema regrouped with her hus- band and a couple friends from work. Her husband put a pair of welding gloves on and picked the bird up and placed it in an old dog crate. While in the crate the owl "had these big powerful talons and his beak just snapped, it was crazy," stated Ritzema. According to the National Geographic Great Horned Owls can kill animals large as dogs and cats. Built strong, these high-flyers can swoop and carry animals several times heavier than their own weight. After receiving the battered owl Brian Salt, director/founder of Salthaven, started the clean- ing immediately, he said this process is not always successful. "The liquid manure has acid and it eats away at those feathers, so the bird can no longer fly," Salt said. The Salthaven team spent five days restoring the feathers for the owl they call Mr. Stinky. The pro- cess is long and time consuming said Salt. A precise schedule must be followed to receive the best results. "You're working against the clock when you do this," Salt said. This method requires numerous baths because "it's important all that manure comes off." They cleaned the owl with Dawn liquid dish detergent. The most important thing while doing this is you must keep the bird warm because owls become easily hypothermic when they're wet. "You have a hair dryer to them to warm them up and repeat the pro- cedure again a few hours later," Salt said. This whole exercise is meant to restore the owl's cleaning oils on the feathers. One of the last things .. 1 . . . .. Brodhagen Chamber of Commerce Roy Le Blanc - Elvis Champion Impersonator Sat., Sept 12, 2015 Doors open 7:00 pm Show 8:00 pm $25.00 per person Lunch will be served For tickets call Diana 519-347-4127; Pauline 519-348-0940; Jim 519-345-2248 Brodhagen Community Centre Check out: www.brodhagencommunitycentre.com . ■ . 1 . . to do is mist the great horn with water. This encourages them to preen. They use the preen gland, an oily substance located on the base of the tail and with this most birds spread these oils all over their feathers. Because the owl ingested an excessive amount of manure, Salt still was not sure if this procedure would be effective. "The feathers can be made clean, but internally, he could be suffer- ing," Salt said. Every day the owl showed signs of improvement. After five days the members of Salthaven effec- tively renewed the feathers and stabilized the bird. Now it was time to free Mr. Stinky back in the wild. After being told in the begin- ning the owl might not survive, receiving the phone call from Salthaven telling Ritzema the bird will live is heartwarming she said. "We kept our fingers crossed and prayed," Ritzema said. The Ritzema family packed in the van and drove for an hour to meet with Salt at the Komoka Pro- vincial Park. Approximately 30 other people, who also wanted to witness the discharge of the owl, joined them. "Off he went he flew in the yonder, hopefully he'll get back up to Huron County because they do have quite a range," Ritzema said. If you know of any injured wild animals or have questions call the Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre at 519 264-2440. St. Columban Cemetery 1867-2015 CEMETERY SUNDAY August 30, 2015 Mass at the cemetery -2 p.m. Officiating- Father Brian McColl WELCOME EVERYONE Please bring lawnchairs Rain: St. James R.C. Church Seaforth • Bacon on a Bun by K. 0. C. - by donation • Refreshments available Offering goes to St. Columban Cemetery Fund Wednesday, August 19, 2015 • Huron Expositor 15 Contributed photo This Great Horned Owl, what the Salthaven Wildlife Rehabilitation and Education Centre call Mr. Stinky nearly died last month after falling in toxic liquid. 6ill/11d1 7 A r.A.Tc .nkv.. I 11-5 NIA ICE C E Fl 1 S TO RY Fac Irfmnalianrc.4- :e4 wnixsw►arnateadarelin 1- 80P),301+w,w.concer,ea Van Egmonc Howe - Egmoncv111e Country breakfmt Sunday, August 23rd, 2015 8am - 1pm Adults - $8.00 Children under 10 - $4,00 Preschool...Free • Isabelle Hunt Please stop by Seaforth Manor for a visit with Isabelle at her new home