Oklahoma State University releases owl back into the wild

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Oklahoma State University Center for Veterinary Health Sciences invited the public to witness a young owl being released back into the wild this afternoon. The great horned owl nestling was found approximately three weeks ago on the ground next to OSU’s Student Union.

“Our Veterinary Medical Hospital and the OSU Police Department both received many calls from the public about this owl,” explained Joao Brandao, LMV, MS, assistant professor of Zoological Medicine. “The owl was brought to our service where we assessed it for injuries. No abnormality was detected via a physical exam and other diagnostic tests such as blood work and radiographs.”

Brandao’s team took care of the owl and then transferred it to a flight cage where she could literally spread her wings and fly in a protected environment.  Her improvement and development progressed as expected and she is now ready to be released back into the wild.

OSU treats wildlife at no charge to the person who brings an animal to its hospital. There is a cost for care and donations can be made to the Wildlife Fund through the OSU Foundation. The fund covers veterinary medical care for orphaned and injured wildlife.

OSU’s Veterinary Medical Hospital treats all species and is open to the public. For more information, visit www.cvhs.okstate.edu or call 405-744-7000 for an appointment.