Regina wildlife centre caring for owl caught in grille of SUV
A snowy owl that was hit and then got stuck in the grille of an SUV Thursday is recovering at a wildlife centre in Regina.
Megan Lawrence, director of Salthaven West Wildlife Rehabilitation, said Friday the owl’s injuries included a concussion and a fracture to his left wing.
The bird has been named Tahoe after the vehicle that hit him.
Tahoe was being fed by hand earlier this week, but was showing signs of being more alert.
Lawrence says the woman who hit the owl noticed he was still alive in the grille and knew that he needed help right away.
Lawrence says his wing will be bandaged for 10 days to two weeks.
“Once the fracture is stable, we’ll continue medicating him for a short period of time. He will be in our care for probably a minimum of three weeks,” she said.
“And before he leaves we will do some flight training to make sure he is strong enough to go.”
Lawrence said owls and other raptors are often hit by vehicles.
“It’s common for raptors when they’re hunting and chasing prey. They don’t know to look both ways when they cross the road, so they end up flying in front of vehicles a lot. Sometimes there’s nothing the driver can do to avoid the collision.”
Lawrence advises drivers to scan the highway regularly to make sure there are no animals.