Crazy as it may sound, all animals have an uncanny awareness of their surroundings and the actions of people and other wildlife around them.
Take for instance Bubba, a great horned owl who is a sanctuary resident at Tucson Wildlife Center.
Now celebrating his 20th birthday, Bubba was rescued and brought to the Center as a fledgling owl with a badly broken wing. After surgery, healing and flight exercise he was outfitted with a tracking device and released back to nature with his foster mother owl. Several weeks later Bubba was brought back in, weak and hungry. His tracking signa showed him slowly heading back to the Center. He knew where to go for help. Bubba’s foster mom knew too as she returned a year later with a broken leg.
Building Bubba’s flight strength and body back up was just part of the goal, the other was to find out why, since he could fly and maneuver flawlessly, had he arrived in such poor condition.
Owls are silent hunters. A special serrated edge on their flight feathers is the secret to their stealth. Bubba had permanently lost one of these critical feathers. When he flew he roared like a freight train.
So, Bubba became a sanctuary resident with a mission, along with his roommate Otto. Twenty years old and going strong he continues to delight, educate and represent Tucson Wildlife Center to the public. May his remarkable life story help further our mission of dedication to the rescue, emergency medical care and rehabilitation of sick, injured and orphaned wildlife before return to the wild, while promoting education, habitat protection and coexistence with wildlife.
Happy Birthday Bubba, may your life of service continue for many more happy years. You are a delight to all of us at Tucson Wildlife Center.
