WITH A "BIG BOOST" FROM VDOT, WILDLIFE CENTER OF VIRGINIA RETURNS BABY GREAT HORNED OWL TO NEST

Thanks to a big boost from the Virginia Department of Transportation and its large bucket truck, the Wildlife Center of Virginia has successfully returned a baby Great Horned Owl to its nest near Waynesboro.

On the morning of March 20, while out walking her dog, Waynesboro resident Sue Woodworth found a baby Great Horned Owl on the ground beneath a tall pine tree. She brought the bird to the Wildlife Center. The veterinary staff examined the owlet, found no broken bones or other injuries, and discovered that the bird had a full crop - meaning that it had recently been fed.

Because the best long-term chance for survival for the owl would be putting it back in its mother's care, Center staff asked for Mrs. Woodworth's help in locating the owlet's nest. She called back later in the day to report that she had found the nest - near the top of a tall pine tree.

The Wildlife Center then began a search for a bucket truck. Center employee Kelly Matherly contacted Aaron Smith, an employee of the Virginia Department of Transportation, who drove to the nest site with a bucket truck. The boom on that truck, however, went only about halfway up the tree. Smith contacted the VDOT regional office - at about 8:00 p.m. - and got permission to use a truck with an 80-foot boom. Smith, Wildlife Center veterinarian Dave McRuer, and the baby owl rode the bucket up - about 70 feet in the air - and successfully placed the owlet back in its nest. Ms. Woodworth has subsequently reported that the mother Great Horned Owl was seen roosting on the nest.

"We're most grateful to Aaron and to VDOT for going above and beyond the call of duty - literally - to help the Wildlife Center return this infant owl to its nest," said Ed Clark, President and Co-founder of the Wildlife Center. "During the past 25 years, the Center has often worked with VDOT and its staff of wildlife biologists. Thanks to a special 'boost' from VDOT last evening, we've been able to give that owlet another chance."

[+] Mother Great Horned Owl, in her nest		[+] Dr. Dave McRuer, WCV veterinarian [left] and VDOT employee Aaron Smith

The Wildlife Center of Virginia is an internationally acclaimed teaching and research hospital for wildlife and conservation medicine. Founded in 1982, the Center has treated more than 49,000 wild animals from all over Virginia.

During 2007, the Center admitted more than 2,300 patients, including 17 Great Horned Owls.

The Center's public education programs share insights gained through the care of injured and orphaned wildlife, in hopes of reducing human damage to wildlife. The Center trains veterinary and conservation professionals from all over the world and is actively involved in comprehensive wildlife health studies and the surveillance of emerging diseases. Additional information about the Wildlife Center is available at www.wildlifecenter.org.