Playing Possum

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=3 height=120 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="161ff781dvldtc.jpg"> <bR> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=188 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <B> <object classid="clsid:D27CDB6E-AE6D-11cf-96B8-444553540000" codebase="http://download.macromedia.com/pub/shockwave/cabs/flash/swflash.cab#version=6,0,0,0" width="160" height="620"> <param name="movie" value="HTMLobj-782/pwc_menu1.swf"> <param name="menu" value="false"> <param name="quality" value="high"> <param name="wmode" value="opaque"> <param name="scale" value="noscale"> <embed src="HTMLobj-782/pwc_menu1.swf" menu="false" quality="high" wmode="opaque" scale="noscale" width=160 height=620 type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspace="http://www.macromedia.com/shockwave/download/index.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash"> </embed> </object>  </B></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=360 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFF99" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="04c202d3.jpg"> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="452" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFFFCC HEIGHT= 16 WIDTH="446"><div> <B>PLAYING POSSUM - </B><B>Possy the Barn Owl</B></div> </tD> </tR> <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFFBF0 HEIGHT= 1332 WIDTH="446"><div> <IMG SRC="128bd9c0.jpg" border=0 width="445" height="412" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> This Barn Owl was brought into care early one morning after it had collided with a cars windscreen. It had a sprain to the end of its wing - the part that holds the flight feathers.</div> <bR> <div> For the first couple of days she would play “possum”. This is playing dead. It is a defence /survival method employed to deter their attacker.</div> <bR> <div> I bandaged the injured part of the wing and rested her for a few days. It is important not to keep a bird's wing bandaged for more than a couple of days as it “freezes” up and then the bird looses the use of that wing.</div> <bR> <div> She was fed a variety of food, which included mice, lizards and small birds - these were collected fresh from the road as they were hit by cars. As these were not always available I substituted her diet with insectivore mince-stuffed chicken wings! This involved de-boning the middle part of a chicken wing and stuffing it with kangaroo mince and insectivore. </div> <bR> <div> Because owls hunt by sound and movement, I tied all her food up with very fine pieces of cotton to the top of her pet pack. These would then move as she jumped around, and in no time at all she was devouring everything put in for her.</div> <bR> <div> Once her sprain had recovered some physio was done on the wing. This meant gently holding the wing on the joint and stretching it out a couple of times each day. Once she was holding the wing in position, temporary jesses were put on and she was taken to the park at night to be flown on a long line.</div> <bR> <div> At first she could only fly a few metres. A record was kept of the distance she flew and how many times each night. Over a period of a couple of weeks she improved to the point that we could no longer keep up with her, and she was not puffed at the end of a long session - we were! I knew she was ready for release.</div> <bR> <div> <IMG SRC="129fa380.jpg" border=0 width="250" height="312" ALIGN="LEFT" HSPACE="4" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> So one evening we drove out to near where she was picked up. She became very excited as we neared the spot. We stopped the car along a side road with a row of trees in front of us. </div> <bR> <div> I got out of the car and let her settle herself on my gloved hand. She flew off and landed about 300 metres away where she looked around, looked back at us and then flew off again towards the trees where we lost sight of her. </div> <bR> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="768" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#FFFFFF HEIGHT= 41 WIDTH="762"><div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Pilbara Wildlife Carers Association">Home</A>  |  <A HREF="aboutpwca.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="About PWCA">About PWCA</A>   |   <A HREF="theanimals.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="The Animals">The Animals</A>   |   <A HREF="birds3f.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Birds">Birds</A>   |   <A HREF="stories.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Stories">Stories</A>   |   <A HREF="firstaid.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="First Aid Safety">First Aid & Safety</A>   |   <A HREF="brochuresforms.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Brochures Forms">Brochures & Forms</A>   |   <A HREF="forsale.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Products For Sale">Products For Sale</A>   |   <A HREF="carers.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Becoming a Carer">Becoming a Carer</A>   |   <A HREF="noticeboard.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Community Notice Board">Community Notice Board</A>   |   <A HREF="gallery.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Photo Gallery">Photo Gallery</A>   |   <A HREF="sponsors.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sponsors Supporters">Sponsors & Supporters</A>   |   <A HREF="newsletters.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Newsletters">Newsletters</A>   |   <A HREF="books.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Books of Interest">Books of Interest</A>   |   <A HREF="communityaware.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Community Awareness and Education">Community Awareness and Education</A>   |   <A HREF="kidscorner.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Kids Corner">Kid's Corner</A>   |   <A HREF="links.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links">Links</A>   |   <A HREF="contact.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Contact Us">Contact Us</A>   |   <A HREF="feedback.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Feedback">Feedback</A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" width=150 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="32596103.jpg"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="136" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP BGCOLOR=#000000 HEIGHT= 265 WIDTH="130"><div> <B><U>STORIES</U></B></div> <div> <A HREF="swanning.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Swanning Around">Swanning Around</A></div> <div> <A HREF="release1.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Successful Release">Successful Release</A></div> <div> <A HREF="rightthing.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Doing The Right Thing">Doing The Right Thing</A></div> <div> <A HREF="percybill.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Mr Percybill">Mr Percybill</A></div> <div> <B>Playing Possum</B></div> <div> <A HREF="snakesgalore.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Snakes Galore !">Snakes Galore !</A></div> <div> <A HREF="percyupdate.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Percy Update">Percy Update</A></div> <div> <A HREF="orphandoves.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Orphaned Doves">Orphaned Doves</A></div> <div> <A HREF="dude.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Dude the Cruisey Mudlark">Dude the Cruisey Mudlark</A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>