Owly, Teton Raptor Center’s Resident Great Horned Owl Turns 20 Years Old
Organization to celebrate two decades of a beloved raptor with immense impact on raptor conservation
Jackson, Wyo. – February 17, 2022 — Owly, Teton Raptor Center’s resident Great Horned Owl (Bubo virginianus) and matriarch of its Avian Ambassadors, turns 20 years old this year! Owly hatched in the wild, so her exact hatch-day in 2002 is unknown, but Teton Raptor Center is officially designating March 22, 2022 as the day to celebrate. On Tuesday, March 22, 2022 members of the TRC team will host a short livestream bird-day celebration on YouTube. The link to the livestream celebration is https://youtu.be/8zjUqCkm1j0.
“For two decades Owly has inspired wonder about raptors and the natural world throughout our community and beyond. Her 20th Hatch-Day celebration not only recognizes an incredible bird, but also the impact non-releasable birds can have for avian conservation.” stated TRC Executive Director Amy McCarthy.
When Owly was just a few months old, she sustained a broken left wing after being struck by a vehicle on Fall Creek Road in Wilson, Wyoming. This led her to the care of Roger Smith and Margaret Creel, the founders of Teton Raptor Center who started the raptor conservation program out of their home. Unfortunately, Owly’s break extended into her wrist joint and after the bones healed, the joint no longer functioned properly. Since Owly was not releasable back to the wild, she gained a new purpose as the first resident raptor of Teton Raptor Center.
During her first several years as a TRC Avian Ambassador Owly lived at the residence of Margaret Creel and Roger Smith, who had proper permitting through US Fish and Wildlife Service and Wyoming Game and Fish Department to keep her for educational purposes. Thanks in part to Owly’s outstanding service as an Avian Ambassador, TRC quickly outgrew its home-based facilities and is now a nonprofit organization that cares for more than 150 birds a year at its beautiful campus on the historic Moseley/Hardeman Ranch.
To date Owly has interacted with over 150,000 people in her career as an Avian Ambassador with Teton Raptor Center. She has attended over 3,000 programs with schools, members of the Jackson Hole community, and visitors to the area. In addition, Teton Raptor Center volunteers have dedicated 3,470 hours of service to her care. Owly has also consumed 8,320 mice in her 20 years in residence!
ABOUT TETON RAPTOR CENTER
Teton Raptor Center (TRC) advances raptor conservation through education, research, and rehabilitation. TRC is a 501c3 nonprofit organization of conservation biologists, educators, veterinarians, wildlife rehabilitators and volunteers, working together to keep wild birds wild. TRC is located at the historic Moseley/Hardeman Ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. In 2021, TRC received amended USFWS and WGFD permits to start rehabilitating corvids, the family of birds that includes ravens, crows, magpies, and jays. If you find an injured raptor or corvid in the area, please call TRC at 307.203.2551, ext. 1.
For more information: 307.203.2551, www.tetonraptorcenter.org or follow them @tetonraptorcenter.
