Raptor Ambassadors of OWL
OWL’s primary goal and mission is to rehabilitate and release sick, injured, or orphaned raptors back into the wild. However, there are some cases where a raptor suffers a permanent injury which makes them unable to survive in the wild and they adjust well to human contact. These birds are given another chance to help their species by becoming Educational Ambassadors (helping to educate the public about raptors and environmental conservation) or by becoming foster parents to orphaned babies and companions to other raptors going through our facility.
OWL would never be where it’s at today without the help of these special staff members.
Sponsor a Raptor
OWL’s Sponsor-a-Raptor program allows a person, family, or organization to sponsor one or more of our permanent residents. You will receive a certificate that includes a picture of the raptor you have sponsored, their story, and a tax receipt. If this is a gift, please email OWL at info@owlrehab.ca with the name you would like on the Sponsorship Certificate, the address of who will be receiving it, and any other special instructions. For the tax receipt, if you wish to receive it, please provide your name and address so we can send it separately to you. If no information is provided, no tax receipt will be sent.
Please Note: You will not have any physical interaction with the bird if you sponsor a raptor.
Single Raptor Sponsorship – $30
Double Cage Mate Sponsorship – $40
To sponsor a raptor or cage mates, please click the button below their descriptions.
If you would like to sponsor a raptor and make a larger donation towards the sponsorship, please give us a call or email us.
Front Education Raptor Ambassadors
These birds reside at the front of OWL’s property and are viewable during tours and Onsite Education Programs. All of these raptors are non-releasable to the wild, but due to the fact they are kept in captivity with very little stress (regular food, no enemies, or competition for food), they can live double or triple their regular lifespan. They contribute to OWL by helping raise orphaned babies or by simply providing company to newly arrived injured birds that are having trouble being in captivity during their treatment and they are an important part of educating the public about raptors.
Eagles
Big Daddy
Bald Eagle (Male)
Date of Arrival: August 2008
Location Found: Yukon
Injury: Missing tip of left wing
Flash
Bald Eagle (Male)
Date of Arrival: March 2005
Location Found: Vancouver Island
Injury: Emaciated and broken left wing at shoulder
Falcons
Aladdin
Merlin (Male)
Date of Arrival: July 2017
Location Found: 103 Mile House
Injury: Young; Found during forest fire with broken right wing
Chilko
Prairie Falcon (Male)
Date of Arrival: October 2014
Location Found: Castlegar
Injury: Infected wound on right wing on webbing, which migrated to the bone; Missing right wing tip
Laverne
Peregrine Falcon (Female)
Date of Arrival: July 2021
Location Found: Vancouver
Injury: Hit door, broken left metacarpals
Shirley
Peregrine Falcon (Female)
Date of Arrival: May 2021
Location Found: Vancouver
Injury: Broken left metacarpals
Hawks
Horus
Northern Goshawk (Male)
Date of Arrival: September 2015
Location Found: Cranbrook
Injury: Paralysis and broken right shoulder (coracoid/scapula)
Pharaoh
Northern Goshawk (Male)
Date of Arrival: October 2016
Location Found: Terrace
Injury: Found running on ground with a broken left wing near elbow; Was already calcified when he arrived
Stella
Red-Tailed Hawk (Female)
Date of Arrival: June 2006
Location Found: Delta – Next to OWL’s property
Injury: Hit by car causing broken right wing; Originally released in 2003 after going through our facility
Rusty
Rough-Legged Hawk (Female)
Date of Arrival: November 2006
Location Found: Cranbrook
Injury: Hit by a car causing broken right wing
Owls
Cessna
Barn Owl (Male)
Date of Arrival: October 2009
Location Found: YVR
Injury: Hit by plane
Connie
Barn Owl (Female)
Date of Arrival: 2019
Location Found: Transferred from the Ministry
Injury: Illegally held captive
Dino
Barred Owl (Male)
Date of Arrival: May 2008
Location Found: WildArc on Vancouver Island
Injury: Trauma to right wing, which has caused feathers not to grow properly
Winston Churchowl
Great Grey Owl (Male)
Date of Arrival: May 2015
Location Found: Smithers
Injury: Broken left wing
Blinkey
Great Horned Owl (Male)
Date of Arrival: August 1984
Location Found: Richmond
Injury: Electrocution causing damage to right wing
Casper
Great Horned Owl (Female)
Date of Arrival: August 1999
Location Found: Prince George
Injury: Possibly caught in a snap trap; Found with broken right wing and missing talons on left foot
Jewel
Snowy Owl (Female)
Date of Arrival: March 2020
Location Found: Port McNeill
Injury: Broken left wing; Missing left wing tip
Anna
Northern Saw-whet Owl (Female)
Date of Arrival: November 2020
Location Found: Haida Gwaii
Injury: Broken right wing
Elsa
Northern Saw-whet Owl (Female)
Date of Arrival: July 2020
Location Found: Prince George
Injury: Broken right wing
Turkey Vultures
Angus
Turkey Vulture (Male)
Date of Arrival: October 2011
Location Found: Cranbrook
Injury: Broken left wing
Chuck
Turkey Vulture (Male)
Date of Arrival: November 2004
Location Found: Puntledge River (Vancouver Island)
Injury: Hit by car causing a broken left wing
Offsite Education Raptor Ambassadors
These birds accompany OWL Educators or Volunteers to schools, other education events, or offsite displays as ambassadors for their species and are the ones you will meet during educational programs and displays. While back in their homes at OWL on their days off, they are off limits to the public for viewing. They are only viewable once a year onsite during our annual Open House. To make sure their field trips are less stressful, they are all “gloved-trained” and have been acclimatized to groups of humans using falconry techniques.
Eagles
Sonsie
Bald Eagle (Male)
Date of Arrival: July 2002
Location Found: Yukon
Injury: Imprinted on humans as a baby
Pygar
Golden Eagle (Male)
Date of Arrival: October 2009
Location Found: Fort St. James
Injury: Multiple breaks in left wing and emaciated
Falcons
Willa
American Kestrel (Female)
Date of Arrival: June 2021
Location Found: Fort Langley
Injury: Young; Broken left wing
Hawks
Harley
Red-Tailed Hawk (Female)
Date of Arrival: January 2014
Location Found: Prince Rupert
Injury: Already healed broken right wing
Flinger
Roadside Hawk (Female)
Date of Arrival: June 1997
Location Found: Hope
Injury: Illegally held captive, malnourished, and non-native to Canada
Bob
Swainson’s Hawk (Male)
Date of Arrival: January 2018
Location Found: Kelowna
Injury: Hit by car; Didn’t adapt to being blind in right eye
Phoenix
Harris Hawk (Female)
Date of Arrival: August 2010
Injury: Ex-falconry bird
Owls
Alba
Barn Owl (Female)
Date of Arrival: May 2011
Location Found: Delta
Injury: Fell out of nest and broke right wing near the shoulder
Sarah
Barn Owl (Female)
Date of Arrival: June 2007
Location Found: Northwest Raptors in Duncan
Injury: Captive bred and imprinted
Cricket
Boobook Owl (Female)
Date of Arrival: September 2015
Location Found: Smithers
Injury: Captive bred at another facility and non-native to Canada
Barbie
Great Horned Owl (Female)
Date of Arrival: November 2019
Location Found: Langley
Injury: Caught in barbed wire fencing; Left wing seized
Luna
Western Screech Owl (Male)
Date of Arrival: September 2015
Location Found: Smithers
Injury: Captive bred at another facility
Turkey Vulture
Victor
Turkey Vulture (Male)
Date of Arrival: August 2009
Location Found: Egmont
Injury: Hit by car causing broken left wing. Was already calcified when he arrived.
Non-Viewable Raptor Ambassadors
These birds work behind the scenes to help foster orphaned babies and to sometimes provide company to some of the older injured raptors who are going through the rehab process when they are having problems adapting to being in captivity during their stay at OWL. Although they are not viewable to the public in any way, they still have an important job to do at OWL. They are sometimes featured on our Social Media pages, so be sure to keep an eye out for them there.
Falcons
Belle
Gyr-Peregrine Falcon (Female)
Date of Arrival: August 2017
Location Found: Maple Ridge
Injury: Emaciated; Non-releasable due to being captive bred
Cole
Gyr-Peregrine Falcon (Male)
Date of Arrival: July 2010
Injury: Ex-falconry bird who had a broken right wing
Owls
Opa
Great Horned Owl (Male)
Date of Arrival: January 2016
Location Found: Creston
Injury: Hit by car causing broken left and right wing
