We do our best to share stories of second chances, happy endings, and great outcomes. Unfortunately in wildlife rehabilitation, those cases don’t tell the whole story. We oftentimes face an uphill battle in providing a second chance to the injured and orphaned wildlife that we treat, and we do have patients that we cannot save. This Long-eared Owl was brought to us after he was found unable to fly in a parking lot in Westampton. His intake exam revealed serious head trauma, most likely from a vehicle impact. Our staff did everything possible to save his life, but were ultimately unsuccessful.
This patient passed away after almost a week in care. Post-mortem exam confirmed severe head trauma with a brain bleed. Unfortunately, no treatment would have been able to save him. Oftentimes, the severity of a patient’s injuries can not be seen outwardly. Although we don’t often share these cases on social media, we feel it’s important to tell the whole story and bring awareness to the challenges faced by our native wildlife.
