Patched-up rare owl carries hope for species

A Short-Eared Owl could help to secure the future of the species after vets patched up its multiple injuries, an animal clinic has said.

The bird of prey - a species listed on conservation files as having amber risk status - was discovered in Stourbridge, West Midlands, on Sunday.

A member of the public took the animal to The Falconry Centre in nearby Hagley.

It then underwent surgery at clinic Evolution Exotics, in Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire.

Liz Hanson, who runs the site with veterinarian Marie Kubiak, said she was unsure whether the owl was male or female, and added it was doing well and would be monitored in the coming weeks.

"You don't see many of them," Ms Hanson said of the Short-Eared species. "They are quite rare, I've never seen one before."

Diagnostic tests showed the owl had four fractures on two of its bones and a puncture wound to its left eye.

If it is not fit to be released in the future, it could be taken to a breeding centre to help secure the future of the species, according to clinic staff.

Ms Hanson, from Stafford, who has 22 years' experience in the nursing field, said the owl was slightly underweight and its progress would depend on how it healed.

"It's in a bit of a bad state at the minute but coming through it which is great," Ms Hanson said.

She urged anybody who saw injured wildlife to take the animals to vets, where experts could make sure they were looked after.

The Falconry Centre said it hoped the bird would make a full recovery and be "returned back to the wild where he belongs".

A Facebook post added the owl's estimated care costs would be about £1,200 and asked people to donate if they could.

"The Short-Eared Owl is the second-rarest owl in the UK," it read. "Getting this little fellow back into the wild is vital for conservation of his species."

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