Cascades Raptor Center in Oregon sustained heavy damage in a snowstorm this month. Lorax the Great Horned Owl was missing after its enclosure was crushed by a falling tree.
From KOIN News
When keepers at Eugene’s Cascades Raptor Center arrived onsite Tuesday morning after the winter storm swept through the area, they became immediately concerned when a Great Horned Owl named Lorax was missing from her damaged enclosure.
Keepers, including Lorax’s trainer Carrie Lorenz, recounted how they all immediately went into “action mode,” removing tree debris and making sure the bird wasn’t trapped under the rubble.
“As we were heading back with our axes to clear the tree, we were calling out for her just in case. All of a sudden we heard her calling back to us,” said Lorenz. “We ran up the hill towards her call, and there she was: perched in a tree near another aviary. It was the biggest relief imaginable…I put out my glove and she flew right down to it, which was the best feeling in the world.”
Lorenz continued, “As trainers, we spend a lot of time developing a strong relationship between us and the birds we work with. I’m so glad our relationship with Lorax was strong enough that she trusted me, and flew right down to the glove even after that traumatic experience.”
Additionally from NBC16
The destruction of Lorax’s enclosure is just one of the many damaged areas at Cascades Raptor Center due to the severe weather that took place January 13-16, the Center stated.
Fallen trees and electrical damage have made the center inaccessible and dangerous, forcing a closure that may last weeks as the Center struggles to repair the walkways, parking lot, and damaged aviaries.
Reparations to the damaged infrastructure and removal of all fallen trees are estimated to cost the Center over $30,000, and will take hundreds of hours of labor from Cascades staff and volunteers.
“Closing our doors is always a hardship for the Center,” said Executive Director Julie Collins. ”But in this instance, it is a must. We have a lot of hard work to do to make the Nature Center safe for our guests. One of our biggest threats right now are the large number of widowmaker branches hanging over newly constructed aviaries; getting those branches removed safely and quickly is necessary to protect both the staff and the site.”
The animal hospital is open during repairs, and emergency fundraising is going on as well. Damage was also severe in the Bald Eagle enclosure as well, but it sounds like it was found safe as well.
Here are pictures of the damage from the NBC article.
This is just the kind of feel good owl story I needed this morning. Thanks!
Though, obviously I wish that human-created climate disasters hadn’t destroyed the Lorax’s house in the first place…
Well maybe Lorax should have spoken for the trees if it didn’t want this to happen.
I’m glad this story was helpful for you!
I had wanted to share about the storm damage earlier, but last night I saw there was a positive twist to the story, so I knew now was the time. I try to avoid looking too preachy or like I’m pursuing for you guys to send money to one place or another.
They don’t exactly say how Lorax came to be with them, but she was 3 weeks old when they got her, so she is most likely imprinted on humans.
It was nice to see that even though she is still mostly a wild animal, she still understood that was her home and where she was safest even after an extreme experience.
While it isn’t good to humanize animals, I’m sure most of us have experienced a bond of trust between ourselves and an animal, usually a cat or dog. I can’t say if it’s love, but trust is definitely a universal language as far as I’m concerned.
I’m glad to see all worked out in this case!
God forbid that owl live outside in a tree in nature and not in an enclosure where Mother Nature intended. I’m so relieved
My father used to run a Bird of Prey rehab facility and sometimes shit happens with birds. There is a small window when birds are young, if you feed them they become imprinted. The facility avoided imprinting chicks using bird puppets in the time before they could returned to nature.
In this case someone either tried to keep it and by the time the organization could place her it would have been far too late, you can’t undo imprinting.
I love the puppets and anti-imprint suits! Some suits are definitely weirder than others.
Here’s a team of panda workers in their suits:
That’s wonderful your dad did that. I’m sure it was a ton of work, physically and mentally! There seems to be so much involved, the more I talk to people in that line of work.
She’s such a pretty bird, hope she lives a long and safe life.
I’m so glad that they built such a trusting relationship. I’m glad Lorax was found.
Wow! I’m so glad she came back to them!