“Massey Wildbase, a wildlife hospital in New Zealand, recently admitted a fluffy new patient: a type of little owl called a morepork.
The bird had a mild skin infection that required a medicated bubble bath to treat. Though the owl wasn’t thrilled about the bath, it was a necessary step to get him back to health.
Pauline Nijman, a supervisor at Wildbase, knew that owls don’t usually enjoy being wet, even from rain.
So, when it came time to give the little owl a bath, she was prepared for a bit of a struggle. Photos taken during the process show an owl who was less than pleased.
Owls’ stately appearance comes from the puffiness of their plumage, which is drastically changed when they get wet.
Nijman washed the owl with chlorhexidine to address the infection, and then rinsed him clean. Afterward, she patted him down with a towel and placed him under an air blower to finish drying off.
Once back to his old fluffy self, the rescued owl was returned to the clinic’s aviary, where he was joined by several other moreporks who are being rehabilitated there.
With any luck, just that one medicinal bubble bath will be all that’s needed to clear up the owl’s skin issue. If that’s the case, he’ll be released back into the wild, good as new.
At Massey Wildbase, hundreds of animals are cared for each year, many of whom are endangered species.
Though the lifesaving treatments offered there, like the little owl’s bath, aren’t always welcome experiences, Nijman knows it’s all to help them get back to health. And that’s what matters most.”
