Spring = A Fuzziness of Babies

Spring = A Fuzziness of Babies admitted to the Wildlife Hospital!

It's the time of year when hawks and owls start raising their young and we get an influx of little ones to the Kathryn G. Favre wildlife hospital.

  This young Barred Owl broke his leg when a storm broke the branch his nest was on.

They are admitted to the hospital for a variety of reasons – they have been orphaned; their nest has fallen out of the tree; they have fallen out of the nest; or a well-meaning passerby assumes that the youngster, who has jumped from the nest while learning to fly, needs help.

 There are currently 10 baby Barred Owls of varying ages being looked after by our Propagation Department.

Fortunately, there is nothing physically wrong with these birds – so they will be raised and released as soon as they are old enough.  These youngsters will be ready to embark on their journey as a wild bird of prey within the next 6-8 weeks. 

 These week-old Red-shouldered Hawks were admitted to the wildlife hospital after the tree their nest was in was blown down in a storm.

This is a rare opportunity for you to be a part of the positive journey for these babies by participating in the Return to the Wild Program.  For just $150 you can sponsor and take part in the release of one of these youngsters at your home, a nearby park, or school.  You may do it to celebrate a special event – birthday, anniversary, wedding, or graduation.  Do it as a celebration of a loved one’s life.  Do it because there is nothing like the feeling of being a hands-on contributor to the success of this species in the wild.  It costs us approximately $300 per baby to look after them and ready them for the next stage of their bright young lives.

 You can have your own hands-on Return to the Wild experience!

If you would like to participate in one of our mission-critical activities and sponsor a Return to the Wild for one of these 12 youngsters, you may purchase your release online or call 636-225-4390 ext. 102 to speak to Catherine.

The mission of the World Bird Sanctuary is to preserve the earth's biological diversity and to secure the future of threatened bird species in their natural environments.  We work to fulfill this mission through education, propagation, field studies and rehabilitation.

Submited by Catherine Redfern, World Bird Sanctuary Staff Member