Northern Spotted Owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) captive breeding at Mountain View Conservation Society
C. Hart, Spotted Owl Keeper Mountain View Conservation and Breeding Centre British Columbia , Canada The Northern Spotted Owl is critically endangered in British Columbia , Canada with less than 11 individuals remaining in the wild. The Spotted Owl Population Enhancement Team (SOPET) recommended captive breeding and release as the only feasible way to enhance wild populations. Mountain View Conservation Society was the first and only facility in Canada chosen to captive breed spotted owls in 2007. A protocol for quarantine and husbandry procedures was devised and followed with an adaptive management approach allowing staff to change or improve procedures if it was considered necessary for efficiency or to ensure the safety of the owls or keepers was not jeopardized. A 14 year old rehabilitated female with a permanent wing injury and in captivity since she was a juvenile, two mature wild caught spotted owls, and a wild caught juvenile, were brought to Mountain View before the 2008 breeding season. All owls were housed in indoor aviaries under permanent quarantine. The two wild caught mature owls were paired together and the juvenile male was paired with the permanently injured female. Both pairs established a bond within days of introduction and were often observed preening each other. The wild caught pair produced one infertile egg. The aviary for the flightless female and yearling male was specially designed to allow the female to hop around and utilize the entire space effectively. This pair was not expected to breed in 2008, but the rehab female laid one egg and they successfully reared an owlet to dispersal age. The initial success of the Northern Spotted Owl Captive Breeding Program is promising for the wild population in British Columbia .
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