Vet Restores Blind Owl's Sight

by Patricia Collier

Her name is Minerva and she's a great horned owl. Minerva was found starving in the Wisconsin woods in early December because she had gone blind.

She was rescued because someone told wildlife rehabilitators Sue and Jerry Theys about an owl who had been sitting on a fence for three days. When the Theys arrived, they immediately suspected the owl had cataracts. Once their veterinarian confirmed the diagnosis, they took the bird to the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine.

After a two-hour eye surgery, performed January 22 by Dr. Chris Murphy, Minerva, as the Theys named the owl, is doing just fine.

Murphy, a board certified veterinary ophthalmologist, already had a pair of lenses that had been custom made several years ago for another great horned owl. But the owl had not turned out to be a good candidate for the surgery, so Murphy used them for Minerva.

The vet was pleased with the results during a follow-up exam February 11. She said the owl could be released this spring.

"To the best of my knowledge, this has not been done anywhere," Murphy said.

The Theys, who operate Wildlife of Wisconsin wildlife rehabilitation, paid for $300 of the $1,800 procedure. The veterinary school donated the rest.

Minerva will be moved to a bigger flight cage in April and tested to see if she can still hunt for prey. If she can, she'll be released back into the wild.

"She's extremely feisty," Sue Theys said. "She can't understand why we're messing with her. She can see and she wants to take off and fly."

Great horned owls are the largest owls in North America. Females can have a wingspan of five feet and weigh up to 5.5 pounds. They have acute night vision and hearing which allows them to easily find prey in the dark.

Great horned owls are found all over the United States and Canada.

© 2004 Animal News Center, Inc.