A Chemainus woman who attempted to save an injured barred owl is thankful for the advice she received on a local Facebook group despite the unhappy outcome.
Wendy Palou was getting ready for work last week when her son alerted her that an owl had been struck by a vehicle.
The family live on Chemianus Road near ----- and it was around 8:00 a.m.
“I went up there and I tried to talk to it and it wouldn’t move but then a truck stopped and the owl turned its head so I knew it was still with us,” she said.
Palou called 9-1-1 and explained it wasn’t an emergency but that the bird required medical attention.
The dispatcher passed along a number for a place in Comox but that’s when Palou recalled reading about an injured raven on a local Facebook group Chemainus Shout Out.
She dialed the number of the Wildlife Nature Centre on Salt Spring Island and a short time later a volunteer arrived at her door.
“It was awesome. In less than half an hour a woman came from Crofton and took the owl on the ferry,” Palou said.
The owl was later transported by helicopter to another care facility in Delta but died of its injuries.
Palou was saddened by the news but believes sharing her story may help others to act quickly too.
“Now when I got to make a donation at Christmas I’m going to donate to (Wildlife Nature Centre). I see that they really do work and have a system in place,” she said.