Spotted Owl dies after release from Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife

Hope fades for species after owl's death

Female spotted owl dies, likely of starvation, after beingreleased into wild

Nicholas Read, Vancouver Sun

Thursday, May 22, 2003

What began as a desperate attempt to save B.C.'s disappearing northern spotted owl population has ended infailure.

A female owl captured from the wild last fall and overwintered at the Grouse Mountain Refuge for Endangered Wildlife has died after being rereleased, it was admitted Wednesday.

The owl, named Hope by refuge staff, appears to havedied of starvation 28 days after being released into the Upper Skagit Valley west of Manning Park in early April.

When she was captured last October, it was the first time in B.C. history that the ministry of water, land and air protection had gone to such lengths to save an individual member of the most endangered bird species in Canada.

Last year researchers were able to find only four spotted owl chicks in the whole province. After it was assumed that three of the four chicks had died, Hope was captured in an attempt to ensure her survival over the winter, traditionally the most dangerous time for owl chicks.

Before her release, she also became the first wild bird in the province to be inoculated against West Nile disease.

Her movements were tracked daily by biologists, and while they say she fared well in captivity, she began to show unusual behaviour four weeks into her release when she roosted alongside a highway. Normally spotted owls prefer the safety and seclusion of a dense forest.

So a decision was made to recapture her last week and take her to Monika's Wildlife Shelter in Surrey for veterinary treatment. She was brought to the shelter on Tuesday and died on Wednesday.

"We're assuming it was starvation," said Brian Clark, regional manager,environmental stewardship for the Lower Mainland office of the ministry ofwater, land and air protection. She had lost about one third of her bodyweight.

After her death, an autopsy was done on her at the province's animal health centre in Abbotsford, but results have not been released.

"It was terrible," attending veterinarian Ken Macquisten said of Hope's death. "This bird essentially represented the entire [spotted owl] recovery project at this stage. She successfully put a face on the plight of the spotted owl, and that's so important for getting people to relate to the problem."

The ministry says there could be as few as 30 breeding pairs of spotted owlsleft in the entire province, and with death rates as high as 75 per cent among birds in their first winters, it was thought that capturing Hope was the best chance of ensuring the survival of at least one 2002 chick.