KELOWNA, B.C. – Downtown Kelowna’s newest residents are struggling to find peace and quiet.
The Great Horned Owl family that’s taken up behind the Kelowna Courthouse along the Art Walk needed some assistance from the Kelowna SPCA Thursday.
A baby owl was located in a bucket atop the Library Parkade expansion in the morning, prompting a call to the SPCA for help. The young owl had flown across the street to a busy pedestrian thoroughfare on Ellis Street, but failed to take flight again.
The SPCA took the young raptor back to the shelter for the day, then returned downtown at dusk.
“He’s just sitting there right now waiting on his parents,” said Kelowna SPCA Branch Manager Suzanne Pugh. “Whether he’ll take flight, we hope he will and just get back into the tree, or whether they’ll come down and feed him on the ground overnight… [we’re] just hoping that there isn’t a lot of foot traffic around for the next 24 hours.”
Pugh says to leave the owl family alone if you see them. She reminds the public that owls have a 28 lb/sq inch talon strength, which could cause much damage.
“[I] just encourage people if they are passing, just to stay well away and let the parents do their work,” she said.
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