A fantastic horned owl discovered itself in a critically sticky state of affairs after changing into caught in a glue lure in Orange County, rendering it each flightless and food-less.
Luckily, a Good Samaritan discovered the chicken and introduced it to an area wildlife middle in Huntington Seashore. Sadly, the individual used scissors to chop the chicken’s wings out of the cheesy materials meant to lure rodents and pests.
“The individual was considering they had been doing the appropriate factor by reducing many of the feathers to get the owl unstuck from the lure,” stated Debbie McGuire, govt director of the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Heart. “However that critically set again the chicken’s rehabilitation as a result of now it has to undergo an entire molt to have the ability to develop these feathers again.”
Chicken feathers, in contrast to hair, don’t continue to grow if minimize. Most owls bear an entire molt every year, shedding their feathers and rising new ones. Nonetheless, bigger species resembling nice horned owls are inclined to molt slower, and might take two or extra years to switch all their feathers.
An owl that was caught in a glue lure was delivered to the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Heart in Huntington Seashore. It was then transported to the Orange County Chicken of Prey Heart for rehabilitation.
(Wetlands and Wildlife Care Heart)
In a best-case situation, the injured chicken will regrow sufficient feathers to fly and return to the wild inside a 12 months. However there’s a likelihood it might take longer to heal, wherein case the raptor’s stint in captivity could also be too lengthy for it to efficiently reintegrate into nature.
“If that’s true, he would possibly by no means be launched and should turn out to be an academic ambassador to show all of us how to not use glue traps,” McGuire stated.
The chicken was delivered to the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Heart in Huntington Seashore on July 23, the place employees used vegetable oil and solvents to regularly and gently take away the remaining glue. The chicken was washed, fed and given water earlier than being transported to the Orange County Chicken of Prey Heart, the place it would start its rehabilitation journey.
It’s unclear how lengthy it would take the owl to get well, or whether or not it will likely be capable of return to the wild afterward.
(Wetlands and Wildlife Care Heart)
The middle hopes that the chicken’s ordeal serves as a warning concerning the risks of glue traps — that are banned in nations resembling England, Iceland and New Zealand, in addition to within the cities of West Hollywood and Ojai.
“We’re begging the general public to not use glue traps as a result of it traps a number of different wildlife apart from the meant pests,” stated Elizabeth Woods, the veterinarian who handled the chicken, in a public service announcement on the middle’s social media accounts. “Even for these pests it’s a horrible option to die.”
McGuire stated that the middle will get calls to rescue animals from glue traps no less than as soon as a month — which is “manner too typically.” Oftentimes, birds will see a snake or rodent caught within the lure, land there to attempt to eat it, and turn out to be trapped themselves.
Along with the good horned owl, the middle has just lately rescued orioles and barn owls from related traps.
In January 2024, U.S. Rep. Ted Lieu (D-Los Angeles) launched a invoice to position a nationwide ban on the “ruthless and inhumane” use of glue traps to catch rodents. Nonetheless, the proposed laws did not progress past the Home Subcommittee on Conservation, Analysis, and Biotechnology.
Ought to members of the general public encounter birds caught in glue traps, McGuire stated it’s necessary that they don’t attempt to minimize or rip their feathers to free them. The most effective plan of action is to wrap the chicken and the lure in a towel and produce it to an animal rescue middle.
Final 12 months, the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Heart rehabilitated round 8,600 injured or sick animals. McGuire stated that individuals who dwell outdoors of Orange County are all the time welcome to name the group, which might advise them on an area remedy middle of their space.
