On Tuesday 27th June 06 we took the White Little Owl to our avian vet for the reason so he can be assessed for release back to the wild or to stay in captivity. The decision made was that he could not be released for many reasons with the main reason being his welfare & predators that would simply prey on him. Whist at the vet the eyes of the Little Owl were closely inspected by 4 avian vets & what was found was not normal in anyway, not seen before!
The pupils in both eyes were able to move independently. Reason.
The pupils are set in front of the iris with very fine strands of nerve endings, these nerves were not attached to the iris, which is why the pupils are able to move like they do. Most of the time the pupils will sit normal in front of the iris but when they move it’s very noticeable.
The pupils should be suspended by nerves that are connected & set slightly behind the iris. The eyes of all Owls are normally fixed in the socket but with the White Little Owl they simply move.
Possible problems the Owl will encounter.
If? The liquid at the back of the eye/iris leaks through to the front of the eye/cornea then the movement of the pupils will create friction burns, if? This occurs the Owl will end up having damage caused to the eyes, where soars/blindness could occur. If this happens then sadly this would mean he would have to be put to sleep. Let’s hope this doesn’t happen!!
Through constant observations via a number of CCTV cameras positioned in the aviary, these also being web linked, we can see that the Owl is doing really well with no complications to be concerned about; When they are all awake, the white Owl is always playing around with his orphaned brothers & sisters daily, which is a pleasure to watch. Bobby his foster mum also has been brilliant, surprisingly she as taken more to the white Owlet than the others & on top of this she has become very protective over him. The Owls vision seems to be good & watching him get around on the perches & shooting through the entrance of the nest box like a dart is very encouraging. With all of this going on we are prepared just in case the worse happens.
The Owlet will be staying at the Centre & in the same aviary as Bobby. We just hope that his health does not deteriorate in the future.
The name we have given him is Ashley
Ashley’s Live Web Cam Link
The 5 other orphans will be leaving the aviary at the Centre on Thursday 13th July 2006. They will be transported to the release aviary we have located at a project site, over the duration of a few weeks they will be gently released back to the wild where these little fella's belong.