Tragedy in a Barn Owls Nest

This is the sad story of a Barn Owl nest in Olympia, Washington. Two Barn Owls have mated and laid several eggs. Three of the eggs have hatched, and several weeks later, the smallest owlet dies. The other two survive, but a horrible thing happens. An animal (not the parents!) attacks the owlets. They are seriously injured, but for now one manages to hang on. (He died a few days later.)

No one saw the attack, which happened at night. The tragedy was immediately reported to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, which put up the nest box and streamed the video to thousands of viewers. Someone thought the parent had attacked, and in my ignorance I included that false information in the video. After training in wildlife rehab, I learned that a Barn Owl would never attack his/her offspring.

So why do I leave the video up? To illustrate the very difficult lives of wildlife. Thousands of injured animals are brought to our wildlife hospital each year. Their habitats are shrinking, and many have been polluted. Competition for food and territory is extremely high. Some species are now extinct.

Through organizations such as Audubon and The Nature Conservancy, wildlife habitats are being restored, albeit slowly. We can all help, though our donations, votes, volunteer work, etc.

http://wdfw.wa.gov/wildwatch/owlcam/barnowl.html

Category:

Pets & Animals

Tags:

• barn
• owl
• owlets
• nest
• eggs
• hatch
• death
• survival
• nature
• wildlife