Snowy owl gets second chance thanks to Atlantic Veterinary College

A snowy owl found emaciated and dehydrated near Souris, P.E.I. a month ago is now ready to be released to the wild.

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The female owl, estimated to be about 11 months old, has been receiving treatment at the Atlantic Veterinary College in Charlottetown.

"There were no other injuries or other things going on just it was very emaciated," said Fiep de Bie, wildlife technician with the AVC Wildlife Service. "That's always a big challenge because they're also dehydrated so the first thing you have to do is give them fluids."

After 24 to 48 hours, de Bie and two AVC students started to re-introduce some food. They had to begin by hand feeding the owl.

"You just have to go very slow so we had to be patient," said de Bie. "You always want to feed them right away, you know they're hungry but that's not a good idea."

Students Jessica D'Amico and Jenna Kenney have been keeping a close eye on the snowy owl, including the pellets that it regurgitates.

"When they contain bone, that's a good sign," said D'Amico. "In the beginning we have to cut out some of the bones because that's very hard to digest but eventually as it gets better and gains weight then it can digest it better."

The owl is weighed daily, which involves catching it in a net and wrapping it in a blanket so they can place it on the scale.

"It's hard to track their weight because they do get stressed when you catch them and you weigh them," Kenney said.

"With wildlife, they actually get more stressed when you talk so you want to be very quiet."

Greater numbers 

De Bie says she's only seen a couple of snowy owls at the AVC, but they seem to be appearing in greater numbers on P.E.I.

"They're not a resident of P.E.I. but we have seen them for several years now," said de Bie. "It's an eruptive species as they call it so they actually come south when the food source is not good in the north." 

The team is now making plans to release the snowy owl.
 
"We are thinking about an area that sort of mimics the tundra where they like to be and where they can find enough food," de Bie said.

Careful release

They will plan the release carefully to allow the owl the best chance to survive. 

"We will release it in the evening because there's usually a lot of animals like crows around that like to mob raptors and especially owls," de Bie said. "It's recommended to release them at dusk."

They have put a band on the snowy owl, in the hopes of finding out where it eventually ends up.

'Very rewarding'

Both AVC students are looking forward to seeing the owl released.

"Working in wildlife in general has been great," said Kenney. "But the snowy has been really nice because it's been a success story."

"To see an animal that came in in poor condition actually get better and have us help it," D'Amico said. "It's a very rewarding experience."

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