We do our best to share stories of second chances, happy endings, and great outcomes. Unfortunately in wildlife rehabilitation, those cases don’t tell the whole story. We oftentimes face an uphill battle in providing a second chance to the injured and orphaned wildlife that we treat, and we do have patients that we cannot save. This Long-eared Owl was brought to us after he was found unable to fly in a parking lot in Westampton. His intake exam revealed serious head trauma, most likely from a vehicle impact. Our staff did everything possible to save his life, but were ultimately unsuccessful.

This patient passed away after almost a week in care. Post-mortem exam confirmed severe head trauma with a brain bleed. Unfortunately, no treatment would have been able to save him. Oftentimes, the severity of a patient’s injuries can not be seen outwardly. Although we don’t often share these cases on social media, we feel it’s important to tell the whole story and bring awareness to the challenges faced by our native wildlife.

This Eastern Screech Owl was admitted to our Wildlife Rehabilitation Hospital at the end of 2022 after being hit by a car in Lumberton, NJ. On intake, this owl was extremely lethargic and suffering from head trauma. He spent a few days in our ICU and received much needed supportive care and medications for pain and inflammation. His lethargy continued for about a week with him unable to stand or even open his eyes.

Being in such bad condition, this owl required extra help with a special diet and assisted feeding because he could not feed himself. Assisted feeding is generally necessary for all adult birds when they are admitted after they have been properly hydrated and are still feeling unwell. It is not until they are feeling better that they regain the drive to eat on their own. This owl, however, required more time with assisted feeding than normal. We are happy to say that he is now eating on his own!

Though this picture may not show it, this Eastern Screech Owl is feeling much better! Just before this picture he was hopping around in his indoor enclosure, energetic and wide-eyed! When this picture was taken he was being held for administration of medicines and he was showing our Wildlife Rehabilitators his displeasure. Luckily for him, he will be ready to move outside to a pre-release enclosure soon. Wild animals can become stressed during handling by humans who they see as predators, so our Wildlife Rehabilitators take great care to only handle them for necessary enclosure cleaning and medical treatments. Reducing stress while in care is key to their survival!