Collin

Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus)

In 2018, a tiny baby owl fell from its nest.

He suffered from severe head trauma and general body trauma. Despite these injuries, he grew healthy and strong. After several months of rehabilitation, the young owl showed promise. He seemed to successfully be able to hunt live prey, fly and maneuver well, and had the feisty attitude of a Great Horned Owl. It was decided to try to give this this youngster a second chance at life in the wild.

The owl was banded and released. He was soon after found to not be thriving on his own out in the wild, and was brought back to our facility. After some re-evaluation and more thorough prey testing, he was found to have probable cognitive inability to survive in the wild, likely due to his original head trauma as a nestling. Due to likelihood of life-long disabilities, this Great Horned Owl was deemed non-releasable.

He then moved to our education department at RMRP. Although disabilities may have prevented this youngster from returning to the wild, it did not impede his progress as an Ambassador. While he is a slow learner, he does well working with people!

Strong and fearless in his own way, this owl has worked hard at becoming a beacon of awareness for its species. His name Collin means “Victory.”