Injury:  Amputation at left elbow

Orson, a Great Horned owl, is our original resident.  He came to the Center in 1982 reeking of skunk.  Owls, as most birds, do not have a good sense of smell so being sprayed by a skunk is no big deal.  The problem came when the skunk bite Orson.*  It is thought that Orson spent about a week in the field before he was found and brought to NWC.  The infection was so bad that we had to amputate his wing to save his life.  Today Orson is used as an education bird and helps to teach thousands of people about owls.

*It is our guess Orson was bit by a skunk due to the smell, but we are positive this what caused the injury.