Grateful for Wildcare

It's taken me many days to recover from finding the dead great-horned owl. My small group knows that I had to talk about it again this week, and show the picture to those who weren't there on the eve of my discovery.

I don't know if "recover" is the right word after finding the owl. I've resumed my normal days, and their rythm. And I'm able to see the beauty in most things.

Yet I still don't know the full meaning of the owl. I've been dreaming about people and things dying, though I expect that's just my fear talking.

And in the midst of this I am grateful for Wildcare, an organization based in San Rafael.

I made many calls after I found the owl, deciding that I didn't want the body to be thrown into the trash - and needing to know the cause of death, even if it just were old age. And I realized without a doubt that the neighborhood would feel the same way about such a treasured member of the community.

I found a couple of good advocates, but most calls were dead ends - until I called Wildcare. They were the only organization within 90 miles who were willing to do a necropsy (that's the animal word for autopsy) on the owl. They have been doing research on the concentrations of rat poison and other toxins in the wild birds that come under their care, and I'm curious to see what they find in "our" owl.

We will need to wait another week or so (likely more?) for the results. Yet in the end, I was forever grateful for someone who was willing the accept this owl's body. Telling me, yes this life was important. Important enough to study in death.

Thank you Wildcare!