Owl hit by car in North Okanagan airlifted to Lower Mainland for care

An injured northern saw-whet owl found on a road in Lumby is receiving care at an owl rehabilitation centre thanks to action taken by several concerned citizens, and it has a good chance of survival.

The bird was found by Lumby resident Josh Dyck on the morning of Nov. 25 near Rawlings Lake.

“I saw him get hit by a car that just kept going so I figured I should check it out and realized it was a little owl,” Dyck said. “He just kind of sat there looking at me so I figured I’d sit with it for a few minutes.”

When the owl didn’t fly off, Dyck decided to contact locally known bird watcher, Scott Thompson, who took the owl to White Valley Veterinary Services in Lumby.

“I’ve not had to deal with an injured owl before and was thinking to take it to the Kamloops Wildlife Park,” Thompson, said in a message to iNFOnews.ca. “My route home took me past the vet and the sign in the window says ‘now accepting new clients,’ so I took the owl in and said ‘I heard you’re accepting new clients.’”

The bird was examined by veterinarian Sarah Burleigh who reached out to her references for help. The BC Wildlife Park wasn’t able to take the owl in, but a well-established raptor facility in the Lower Mainland was.

Located in Delta, OWL (Orphaned Wildlife) Rehabilitation Society is dedicated to rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing injured and orphaned raptors, and educating the public about owl conservation. The facility has rescued thousands of birds that are sent to them from all over the province with the help of a large network of volunteers.

One of those volunteers picked the injured bird up from the vet clinic and transported it by plane to the rehabilitation facility.

The owl survived the trip, and roughly 48 hours after being rescued, is being medicated and kept comfortable with the care team at OWL.

“His left eye is blown, but the blood has cleared up from his nostrils so that’s a good sign,” Owl general manager Rob Hope said. “There is bruising on his chest so that could mean internal injuries.”

The bird will stay put for the next few days and get checked out by an eye specialist if it survives. If it is able to be released, it will be returned to the area it was found.

“I want to thank the bird watcher for helping me out with getting the little guy to the bird rehabilitation centre,” Dyck said. “I couldn’t just leave him there after what happened to the little guy. I’m glad he’s getting looked after.”

If you find an injured or orphaned raptor you can call the OWL emergency line at 604-946-3171.