OLIVER – It was a record-breaking day at a raptor rehabilitation centre in the south Okanagan on Sunday.
Staff at the South Okanagan Rehabilitation Centre for Owls (SORCO) hosted their annual open house, the only time of year the public can come by to visit the birds of prey.
“This is the first time we’ve been here and we are amazed at how many people are here,” says Summerland resident Gord Morris who attended the event.
It’s SORCO’s largest fundraiser of the year.
“Any proceeds from the entry by donation, barbeque by donation or the silent auction, goes to the bird care for the whole year so we really, really rely on the people to come and support us,” says SORCO Manager, Dale Belvedere.
Aside from the food, activities such as crafts and the silent auction, one of the biggest draws is of course getting to see the owls and there was also a hawk.
“[We also have] my buddy Houdini, he’s a great-horned owl,” says Belvedere.
The birds of prey at SORCO are all kept until they’re rehabilitated and then let back out into the wild.
Except for Houdini, who was deemed un-releasable due to injuries, so he’s the resident owl and has lived at SORCO since he was just three days old.
“He turns 16 today,” says Belvedere.
This birthday is a milestone staff at SORCO were worried Houdini wouldn’t reach.
That’s because last June a building was broken into at the centre and the entire raptor food supply was poisoned. Houdini was accidentally fed some of that poisoned food and as a result, he became very sick.
“He was very, very ill and we did have our doubts that he would make it,” says Belvedere.
But the owl is better than ever and once again drawing large crowds.
With just over 1,200 people attending and more than $9,000 raised, Sunday’s open house was the biggest in SORCO’s 28-year history.
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