Annie's story reflects a large proportion of the captive barn owl population, and begins back in 1999 when, as a newly fledged chick, she was sold- without the appropriate paperwork-  by her breeder to an 11 year old boy - with unconcerned parents - who wanted her as a plaything, just on a whim. He had no suitable accommodation for her so she was kept locked in a wardrobe in his bedroom.
       Owls are not cuddly toys and the boy soon began to realise that there was more responsibility involved than he'd expected. He grew tired of her. After a while she was sold on to another inexperienced person, again with no suitable accommodation, who kept her locked in a cellar.  How long she languished there we will never really know, but luck was briefly on her side.

A young couple, with some experience of keeping raptors learnt of her plight and patiently persuaded her owner to pass Annie on to them. A spacious aviary was awaiting her, with owners who cared, fed her the right food and spent some time with her. Gradually Annie learnt to trust them enough to approach for food. It seemed, finally, that Annie had landed on her feet.

Then fate stepped in again and when she had been with them for only 2 weeks, by a sheer fluke of bad luck, she escaped.  For 4 days and nights, this severely traumatised owl flew around, with no knowledge of how to survive in this hostile environment, a gnawing hunger gripping her insides and gradually moving further away from her doting owners.
     By the fourth day she was weak with starvation. She landed on a garden fence about a mile from home in broad daylight, and she was spotted by the householder and her family. Slowly they approached, but Annie had had enough of the human race. With one last concerted effort she launched herself from the fence and laboriously flapped her way up to the roof of the house. It took the last of her strength and she lay down on the steep slates utterly exhausted.
      The local residents, tried for a while to persuade her to come down, but they were ignored. Losing interest, they made their way back home. Then, unseen by anyone, Annie collapsed, rolled off the roof and landed with a thud in the garden. There she lay, starving and hypothermic- a silent testimony to the indiscriminate breeding of her species and an overburdened market.

       I first learnt of Annie's existence on the day she disappeared. Kim, her distraught owner rang various places to report her missing, and located my phone number. We spoke briefly on the phone, I took her details and told her she would probably not expect to hear anything for 4 days. That was how long it takes for a barn owl without food to become weak and unable to fly.

         My estimate was correct. 4 days later I received the call Kim had been waiting for. Annie had been found! 30 minutes after she had first been spotted the woman went back out to see if she had moved from the roof, and found her lying still and cold on the lawn. She was emaciated, hypothermic and unconscious. My first impression was that I could not save her. We placed her first on a hot water bottle and injected fluids directly into her. Slowly, as she began to respond to the treatment she regained consciousness.

        Then I held her in an upright position and dripped glucose down her throat. I stayed up most of the night with her, occasionally giving glucose, and injecting more fluids. Every hour I refilled the hot water bottle.
   In the early hours of the morning, she finally struggled to her feet. I think she was most annoyed when I bundled her straight back into the towel with the bottle and tried to snatch some sleep, knowing now she had a good chance of surviving.
    Although she was very close to death when admitted and she required 24 hour care at first, Annie eventually made a full recovery.

She is lucky, she has kind caring owners to go home to. People who care more for her than her breeder ever did. He didn't think she was even worth registering, and the ring on her leg is not legal. It has been cut. Presumably taken from another bird. She was bred purely for her commercial value. She wears an illegal ring. She was sold illegally with no relevant paperwork to an 11 year old boy, proving that her breeder cared no more for her future welfare than a child does about a broken toy he has tossed into the bin.
     Until measures are taken to stop the indiscriminate breeding and the easy acquisition of these birds by just anyone, thousands of barn owls will continue to suffer unnoticed. Most will not be as lucky as Annie.

             next page-->>  Bamber