Keepers of the spotted owl

“McCulligh knew the breeding centre could not afford to lose this newborn. At that point in time, in April 2017, there were only six spotted owls left in B.C.’s wild, even though scientists had been sounding the alarm for decades about widespread destruction of the species’ ancient rainforest habitat. Ten years into operation, the breeding centre had hatched just eight other spotted owls — and one was blind, couldn’t fly and laid eggs in her water dish. ‘It was the most stressful thing of my entire life,’ McCulligh remembered. ‘It was at the point where I just didn’t know what to do anymore.'”

 

Sarah Cox – The Narwhal – November 2018

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