Love at first sight: Owl mama that lost her babies adopts rescued orphans
Washington Boro, Pennsylvania - An injured owl that lost its young jumped at the chance to be a mama again when rescuers introduced her to not one but two orphaned owlets!
One of the little babies was discovered in Columbia, Pennsylvania in early April. The little great horned owl was weak, underweight, and completely alone in a concrete jungle.
Luckily, just two days earlier, the Raven Ridge Wildlife Center had taken in a female great horned owl.
She was rescued from an electric fence and could neither fly nor stand. Her carers noticed that the bird had a brood patch, a clear sign that she had been incubating eggs or already caring for chicks, but they couldn't locate the mama owl's nest.
This unfortunate situation presented the wildlife rescuers with an opportunity. Young owls quickly imprint on humans, making release back into the wild almost impossible. Being raised by foster owls gives young birds the best chance of survival.
The rescuers put the rescued baby owl with the bereaved mom and the matchmaking went better than anyone dared to hope.
A patchwork family owl family comes together
The two quickly developed a close bond – almost as if fate had brought them together.
Then fate struck again. Rescuers discovered another owlet in Hershey. Heavy storms had knocked the little animal from its nest, and despite an intensive search, rescuers couldn't find the baby's home.
So the Raven Ridge Wildlife Center workers decided to see if the mama bird would take on another charge.
Amazingly, she accepted this second chick too!
Things are not always completely harmonious in the new patchwork family. The first chick isn't super enthusiastic about its new "sibling."
But as rescuers wrote on Facebook, this family dynamic is exactly what the young animals need. Together, this new family has the best possible chance of survival when they return to the wild.
Cover photo: Screenshot/Facebook/Raven Ridge Wildlife Center

