Have you ever gone to empty your mouse traps and thought: “What a tasty-looking morsel. If only I knew a creature who would enjoy this freshly-snapped treat?”
One-eyed Jack sure would love to gobble up the mousy remains.
The owl has been in care since August after presumably being hit by a car. When Jack arrived at the Invermere Veterinary Hospital, he had an ulcer on his eye that needed to be treated. In order to allow him
to heal, the clinic sewed his eye closed.
The Project Take Flight Wildlife Rehabilitation Society – which became a registered non-profit group earlier this year after 25 years of service– is collecting snacks for Jack, who devours around three beady-eyed meals a day. The hungry owl has already tossed back around 600 mice while he’s been in care.
“We do prefer dead,” said mouse-collector Dana Strachan, adding that the special presents cats leave for their humans and mice caught in traps are welcome, traps and all.
“We’re more than willing to take them out of the traps,” Ms. Strachan said. “We’ll take pretty much any size or anything.”
Fresh or frozen, Jack and his eagle friend, Hobo, will eat them all. The only criteria for the mice is that they can’t have been shot or poisoned. Songbirds caught by cats or that have crashed into windows are also suitable snacks.
Mousy donations – and cash to buy mice – can be delivered to the Invermere Veterinary Hospital.
Ms. Strachan expects Jack to be ready to catch his own meals shortly and anticipates setting him free this spring.
