Good NewsBaby owl reunited with family after fall from nest in Toronto
On Monday, strong gusts of wind knocked a baby great horned owl out of its nest in a Mississauga treetop. The "very, very fuzzy" bird landed on the ground, 70-feet below its family's home.
The owl was discovered by a golf course employee who brought the bird to the Toronto Wildlife Centre (TWC). There, the four-weeks-old owl was handfed meats and given fluids until the high winds died down.
On Wednesday, TWC's Alex Rios climbed a nine-metre extension ladder, owl in tow, and then climbed 12 metres further to reach the nest. Rios placed the owl into the nest where the bird's parents swooped down to meet their returned offspring.
"It was amazing," TWC executive director Nathalie Karvonen told the Toronto Sun. "It was quite difficult because it was up high in the tree."
"It is the best possible situation for this baby," she added.
Karvonen told the Toronto Star that it's an "urban myth" that a baby bird will be rejected by its parents after being handled by humans:
"Most birds have a very poorly developed sense of smell — it's much more an issue with certain mammals, like rabbits or deer."
