this post was submitted on 24 Apr 2025
297 points (100.0% liked)

Superbowl

4238 readers
258 users here now

For owls that are superb.

US Wild Animal Rescue Database: Animal Help Now

International Wildlife Rescues: RescueShelter.com

Australia Rescue Help: WIRES

Germany-Austria-Switzerland-Italy Wild Bird Rescue: wildvogelhilfe.org

If you find an injured owl:

Note your exact location so the owl can be released back where it came from. Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitation specialist to get correct advice and immediate assistance.

Minimize stress for the owl. If you can catch it, toss a towel or sweater over it and get it in a cardboard box or pet carrier. It should have room to be comfortable but not so much it can panic and injure itself. If you can’t catch it, keep people and animals away until help can come.

Do not give food or water! If you feed them the wrong thing or give them water improperly, you can accidentally kill them. It can also cause problems if they require anesthesia once help arrives, complicating procedures and costing valuable time.

If it is a baby owl, and it looks safe and uninjured, leave it be. Time on the ground is part of their growing up. They can fly to some extent and climb trees. If animals or people are nearby, put it up on a branch so it’s safe. If it’s injured, follow the above advice.

For more detailed help, see the OwlPages Rescue page.

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
top 16 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 33 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

I'm glad to see he is still around!

Check out this older post for some further details on both Zeus and another amazing type of "galaxy eye" that seems to only happen to Burrowing Owls.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It only happens to Burrowing Owls, but is it an effect of the blindness?

I would assume so, but then why only Burrowing Owls?

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

Oh shoot, I forgot to post the link! 😅

This comment in particular goes into Zeus's specific medical conditions.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Very satisfying read - thanks

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Glad you liked it! It's not too often we seem to get a decent amount of details of one of these atypical cases.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Zeus is such an apt name for this Magnifi... Oops, i mean Superb Owl.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago
[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

I was going to make a comment about how this post was "so old the Owl might even be dead"

Glad to see that's apparently not the case.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I'm not sure how old he is, but I'm glad he's getting to live a long and spoiled life.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Given that the photo first surfaced in 2014ish, at least 11 years. No idea how old that is in Owl years.

But yes, I'm also glad.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago

15-20 is pretty ancient for a captive Screech, and I hadn't seen anything on how old he was when he was originally taken in, like if he was born with bad eyes, got them after a few years maybe from disease or injury, or if he was already a pretty old owl when they got him. He's been in captivity longer than a typical Screech would be alive in the wild.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Maybe we’re just peering into his galaxy brain.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 month ago

Clearly his galaxy soul.

[–] [email protected] 6 points 1 month ago
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 month ago

Thank you for voting. You can vote again in 24 hours. leaderboard