Owl Lived 14 Years

Wildlife rehabilitation

An owl that had been treated for injuries and released into the wild near Pullman was found dead along a highway late this summer.

A tag on the owl indicated it had surived 14 years in the wild after its release from Washington State University’s raptor rehabilitation center - one of the longest owl survivors on record.

Spokesman-Review driver Larry Walker was returning to Pullman from his newspaper delivery route when he discovered the dead great-horned owl on the highway. When he saw the owl had a metal band on its leg, Walker took the carcass and contacted state and federal wildlife authorities.

Numbers on the tag were tracked to the WSU Veterinary School’s teaching hospital.

Eric Stauber, professor of veterinary sciences, said the owl originally had been brought to the lab in 1982, apparently after being struck by a vehicle. The owl was treated until it could fly and released.

Owls hunt at night and occasionally use the open road to hunt mice, Stauber said. Collisions are not uncommon.

Knowing that the owl lived 14 years after it was treated and released “encourages our efforts with other injured birds we help,” Stauber said.

WSU’s raptor rehabilitation program has treated hundreds of owls, hawks, eagles and other birds of prey since it was founded in in 1979. , DataTimes