Philadelphia Metro Wildlife Center's first patient
PATIENT #0001
Within an hour of moving into our new space and opening our doors, we received our very first patient, #0001, an 18 day old Great Horned Owl chick. His family was nesting in a tree in a residential neighborhood, and a neighbor found this chick on the ground. After an initial exam, he was treated for dehydration with injections of fluids, and staff fed small pieces of a mouse, which he ate ravenously. He is receiving the care he needs; however, he cannot stay at the rescue until he is ready for release.
Baby owls cannot be raised alone, and being raised by humans is dangerous for their development. The danger is in 'imprinting" - a baby owl raised alone by humans can grow up identifying with humans, and not recognizing members of his own species as an adult. The wildlife rehabilitation staff are now preparing Patient #0001 to reunite with his owl family and have contacted a tree expert to help them safely return him to his home. It's a myth that wildlife will be 'rejected' by their parents if they have had human contact, and it is very likely that his parents will welcome him back with open wings. Wildlife babies always do better with their own parents. It is very likely that his parents will welcome him back with open wings.
If for some reason the re-nesting is not a success, the owl will be transferred tomorrow to another center that has a baby owl the same age that can be his foster sibling. More importantly, this center has a non-releasable Great Horned Owl who will act as a surrogate parent, ensuring that the owl does not imprint on humans. Until he is re-nested or transferred, human contact will be kept at an absolute minimum.
