Despite giving every critter that I receive the best care and feeding I have available, sometimes my efforts do not result in the animal returning to the wild. Part of me has accepted that reality. Every once in a while when I lose one I cannot apply acceptance, and it hurts. That was the case a couple days ago when the little screech owl died. Although I knew he was very young when I received him and that fact lessened his likelihood of survival, I loved him dearly, gave him attentive care, and hoped for the best.
That wasn’t to be.
When I lose a critter, I always review its situation, what I did, and what might have been the reason for its demise. This is not a scientific exercise, but I hope to understand what happened and learn so that I can apply that knowledge to future critters. In the little owl’s case, I suspect his age and that he fell thirty feet from a nest gave him injuries I could not fix.
Thank you for caring about the critters and sharing in my grief.
Patti