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SNOWy Returns to the Tundra

On December 1, 2020, we received a call from Topeka, IN about a snowy owl caught in a barbed wire fence. Bill Oberg brought the owl to our ICU, where she was found to be in good shape, except for a wound on her wing.

Over the next 5 months, our vet, Dr. Riebe, vet tech Maraiah Russell, and our dedicated ICU staff monitored and treated her, cleaning and debriding the wound on her wing each week then, when her wing had sufficiently healed, watching and evaluating her in our flight pen to help her gain strength and, finally, imping her tail feathers so she could be released now, instead of waiting for her to grow new feathers.

Exactly 5 months to the day of her admission, on May 1, Sue Hansen and Bill drove her to Mount Pleasant, MI to give her a "head start" on her migration back north. Thanks to the people from Isabella County, Michigan, who were instrumental in finding a safe place for the release.