From World Bird Sanctuary
It is officially hooting season!
Hooting season is the time of year when owls hoot more frequently to establish territory, find mates, and get ready for breeding. Owls will begin defending their territory and courting their mates in late fall, and the breeding season wil go throughout winter and early spring. Depending on the species, eggs may even begin hatching in early January.
Some of our owls may court their roommates, but some of them court the staff. Cecil, the great horned owl, is a human imprint. Someone illegally raised him from a chick, and he does not see himself as an owl. He sees other great horned owls as a threat. So according to Cecil, humans are the proper mate instead! He has been hooting frequently to get the attention of his favorite people, and even tries to bring them gifts such as this leaf!
While we must admit it is a very impressive leaf, we must turn down his advances. Don’t feel too bad for Cecil’s unrequited love though, as he gets to spend his days hanging out with the people he prefers.
Some people think they’re doing good (Peanut the Squirrel) and some people think it will be fun to have an owl, but they aren’t indoor animals and they don’t know how to live lives comparable with us so they make bad pets.
By taking an animal from the wild like that, it can’t ever go back, even though there isn’t anything physically wrong with it. It’s sad to see them get denied the life they were supposed to have. I’m glad this one made it to a place where people can care for it responsibly.