July 31: Owl and skunk releases

A young Barn Owl is released back into the wild - Tinsley Hunsdorfer

The Wildlife Care Center has released several animals back into the wild recently, including a group of young skunks and four Barn Owls.

Skunk Release
More than 20 baby skunks have stayed at the care center this summer, and a batch of them was recently released near Wilsonville, Ore. At 10-12 weeks, the skunks had reached the age at which their mothers' would have weaned them.

The skunks' release site was chosen for its great habitat - a creek and woods - as well as its distance from humans. Read more about this summer's baby skunks.

Barn Owl Release
On Friday evening, we successfully released four Barn Owls. The birds literally flew into the sunset at the beautiful Luscher Farm community gardens, where they will help control the rodent population.

The orphaned owls were found in a hay bale earlier this year. They stayed at the care center while their flight feathers grew in and then moved to Portland Audubon's flight cages for a few weeks. This gave the young birds time to practice their flying skills before heading back into the wild.

Skunk release, July 2012 - Deb Schaeffer