Owl gets care at raptor center

An injured young Great Horned Owl has another chance at life in the wild after being discovered by Greene County Parks & Trails’ Chief Ranger Chuck Frazier.

Frazier found the owl on the ground at the Narrow Reserve in Beavercreek and took the bird, which was unable to fly, for evaluation at the Glen Helen Raptor Center, located at 1075 State Route 343 in Yellow Springs. Assistant Dexter Norris, examined and weighed the Great Horned Owl, which was determined to be a male, underweight and with a possible wing injury.

The Glen Helen Raptor Center rehabilitates injured birds of prey while educating the public about raptors, other wildlife and conservation issues. It started in 1970 as part of Antioch College’s Glen Helen Outdoor Education Center, receives about 150-200 birds per year into its rehabilitation center and over half of them are able to be released back into the wild.

The center also includes a classroom area for bird study lessons, an intensive care room, outdoor cages for display of permanently handicapped birds and flight cages for recuperating birds.

It is funded through through donations, adoptions and program fees.

The hope is that the owl found at the Narrows Reserve will heal and be able to be returned to the wild but the Greene County Parks & Trails also maintains its own aviary of raptors at the Narrows Reserve Nature Center at 2575 Indian Ripple Road in Beavercreek, which contains birds that have been rehabilitated but are unable to live on their own in the wild.

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