An osprey is getting a second lease on life thanks to the efforts of hikers as well as staff and volunteers at OWL Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society.
The osprey just returned to the Cariboo this week on a free flight on Pacific Coastal Airlines after spending some time recuperating at the rehab centre in Delta.
A few months ago the osprey fell out of a tree in a rain storm, soaking wet and in front of a hiker in the Beaver Valley area.
The hikers picked up the bird and contacted OWL, who engaged their volunteer non-profit partners in the Cariboo — Second Chance Animal Rescue Society (SCARS).
SCARS volunteer Sue Burton picked the owl up from the airport Wednesday, and set out to release her back into the Beaver Valley area where she was found on Wednesday.
“I enjoy helping out critters, not just birds, anything that needs help,” Burton said of her volunteer work.
Burton has had a hand at rescuing everything from eagles and osprey to swallows and sparrows as well as turtles, deer and moose during her six years as an animal rescue volunteer.
“Just about everything, even marmots, which are one of my favourites. It doesn’t matter how small they are. Some people think just because something’s small, it’s not worth saving and that’s just not the case.”
She helps out OWL whenever they need assistance capturing, transporting and releasing injured or orphaned raptors and Pacific Coastal Airlines donates the flights.
OWL is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping raptors.
OWL is on call seven days a week, twenty-four hours a day for any raptor emergencies and houses over 46 non-releasable raptors as permanent residents at its Lower Mainland facility, some of which assist with fostering orphans and some go out to schools and events as ambassadors to help educate the public.