From Winged Freedom Raptor Hospital

Meet "Grandpa Ernie", an adult Great Horned Owl with several ongoing medical problems. It is rare that a raptor comes in to us with just one problem, and Ernie certainly fits that description! He has a wing fracture that is several days old, with an open wound and exposed bone. That's not good. He has a bad eye, which has several abnormalities but does appear to have retained some vision. Then add to all that he is severely emaciated and he smells strongly of skunk. These owls prey on skunks with seemingly no concern for how they smell for the next few weeks.

We think he is an older owl, one who has been around the block a few times as they say. His feathering is not perfect, his beak shows some wear and tear, and he carries himself with the proud stance of age and experience.

He is improving physically, and he has started to show some cranky Great Horned Owl attitude. He will face a big orthopedic surgery within the next few days in an attempt to fix his fractured wing. Broken bone exposed to air starts to die, and his bone has begun this process.

We will update more soon, and it may not be great news, but this is the reality of raptor rehabilitation. The birds come in with their list of ailments and our veterinarians do their best to fix them.

Now there's a bird that's seen some things! I think so that only makes him more stunning. 😍

Get better soon, old man.

Can’t wait for the Grumpy Old Men remake!

He could surely stash some smelly critters in the back seat of the truck.

"Up yours, Blakiston!"