FreeLists / tn-bird / [TN-Bird] Heroic owl

[Thais Carr <thaiscarr@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I thought subscribers to this list would enjoy reading this article about a
visually impaired owl.  Thais Carr, Thompsons Station



Hall Of Fame Award Goes To Visually Impaired Owl Who Helped Bring Speech To
Autistic Child

March 06, 2007 =8B By the Center for Biological Diversity

HOUSTON, Minn. =8B An owl who motivated an autistic child to begin speaking
and the man who founded the world's foremost owl conservation organization
were inducted into the World Owl Hall of Fame at the Festival of Owls in
Houston, Minnesota on March 2, 2007.
Owly, a short-eared owl from Alaska, started on his career path as an
educator when he crashed headlong into the floodlight of a fishing boat out
on the open ocean during his first migration. After winning over the crew o=
f
the boat and the villagers of Saint Paul Island as they all came together t=
o
care for the injured raptor, Owly traveled by plane to the Bird Treatment
and Learning Center in Anchorage, where he received more specialized care.
When it became apparent that vision problems sustained during his crash
would be permanent, he accepted a new job as an educator, working with the
treatment center's staff as an ambassador for his kind. His biggest
achievement came on an occasion when his audience included an autistic
child. He was able to connect with this child, apparently, and the little
boy, previously considered to be without language capabilities, ran up to
his teacher and began asking questions about Owly, astounding parents and
teacher alike.

Barbara Doak, Owly's handler and keeper, sees him as a very special
individual. "He's a very polite, nice, bird," says Doak. It was Doak's son
Dan who suggested she submit a nomination for Owly for the World Owl Hall o=
f
Fame's Lady Gray'l Award. When Dan was told that Owly had won, he responded=
,
"I have never known such a famous owl before, let alone one so modest."
Tony Warburton, Honorary President of the World Owl Trust in Cumbria,
England, is the winner of this year's Champion of Owls Award. Warburton has
dedicated the past 40 years of his life to owls. His extensive work on the
animals' behalf has included over 1,000 conservation lectures with live owl=
s
throughout the UK and Finland, four decades of owl research, countless
magazine and periodical articles, and the founding of organizations to help
owls through captive-breeding programs, habitat protection and restoration.
He has inspired countless others to follow in his footsteps and strike out
on their own in the name of owls. At age 71, he has no intention of ever
retiring, for he says, "The battle is far from won as yet!"

The purpose of the World Owl Hall of Fame is to bring public recognition to
owls and people who are going to extraordinary lengths to make the world a
better place for owls. Sponsors of the 2007 hall of fame are Buteo Books,
the Center for Biological Diversity, the Festival of Owls, the Global Owl
Project, the Manitoba Great Gray Owl Fund, Natural Heritage Books,
Northwoods LTD, the Owl Research Institute, owlstuff.com, the Raptor
Education Group, Inc., Ron Buck's Worth Framing, and Stith Recording.
More information is available on the internet:
Bird Treatment and Learning Center: www.birdtlc.net World Owl Trust:
www.owls.org World Owl Hall of Fame: www.globalowlproject.com Festival of
Owls: www.houstonmn.com/owlfest.htm
Contact Info:
Karla Kinstler
Houston Nature Center

http://www.enn.com/net.html?id=3D1855
Tel : 507-896-4668


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