Last week we reported on an injured barred owl that was rescued at Ijams along the Universal Trail.
(The photo to the left was taken last year near the same location.)
Once captured, our veterinarian Dr. Louise Conrad took the owl to UT vet hospital to be examined.
One week later, Louise and Pam Petko-Seus, our wildlife biologist, report that, "The barred owl had a severe fracture of both the radius and ulna of the wing. Had it been one or the other bone, they would have attempted to save the bird. With both bones broken, there is nothing to hold the wing steady. The amount of 'repair' the bones were exhibiting leads us to be pretty sure the timing was right for a storm injury. The bird would have continued to starve to death had we not found it."
The injured owl had to be euthanized at the vet school.
- Text and photo by Stephen Lyn Bales
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