A long-eared owl found by a paramedic is hopefully on its way to recovery after being transported to Delta by a Williams Lake trucking company.
The medium-sized, slender owl made its journey in a plastic-covered pet carrier on Friday, July 3, by Bandstra Transportation Systems Ltd. to the city in B.C.’s Lower Mainland, where it was anticipated to be picked up by a volunteer who would take it to the OWL Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society.
It was found a few days earlier by a paramedic on their way to work who safely plucked it from the side of the road and brought it to the BC Ambulance Station in Williams Lake.
There it was placed in a deep box, and passionate volunteer wildlife rescuer Sue Burton contacted. Burton didn’t hesitate, rushing down to the station after having picked up a chipmunk that wasn’t doing well.
“They had stopped because they saw a ball of fluff on the side of the road, and the crows were at it,” Burton said of the long-eared owl she suspects was struck by a vehicle.
Burton was slightly taken aback by the raptor’s size, as BC Ambulance Station staff thought it might have a northern saw-whet owl that the B.C. Sierra Club notes are one of the smallest species of owl in North America.
She moved the much larger-sized long-eared owl into a covered pet carrier and worked on coordinating its transportation to the organization dedicated to the rescue, rehabilitation and release of injured and orphaned raptors.
Bandstra Transportation Systems Ltd. has assisted with such transports before.
“They’re really great,” Burton said.
In addition to the OWL Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society, Burton also volunteers closely with Northern Lights Wildlife Society in Smithers and the Good Caws Crow Rescue Society in Prince George, establishing a volunteer network that is ready at any moment an animal in the Cariboo Chilcotin is in need.
“When I get calls, I try to accommodate as fast as I can,” Burton said of her animal rescue efforts that she has been doing for well over 10 years.
After Burton picked up the long-eared owl from the BC Ambulance Station, she placed a dead mouse, freshly caught in a trap, in the crate with it.
She would check on the owl every so often.
“He seems to be doing okay,” Burton said on Thursday, July 2, noting he still had not touched the mouse.
Once at the OWL Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society, the owl that Burton said did not appear to have any visible physical injuries would be further assessed.
Rehabilitation could take anywhere from weeks to months.
Burton advises anyone finding an injured raptor to message her on Facebook or if they are comfortable, before doing so, to gently pick them up by wrapping them in a coat or a blanket.
As for baby deer found by themselves, Burton shares the same message strongly reiterated by the BC Conservation Officer Service.
“Leave them alone,” Burton said of fawns.