Benson the Barred Owl was found by visitors at the Lumber River State Park campground in December 2016. A Sea Biscuit volunteer met them halfway and brought her in. She’d been hit by a car and had a broken left wing and broken right leg., and she had evidently been on the ground for some time because she also had several parasites and was malnourished.
A few days later after she was stabilized, hydrated, and eating her mice normally, she went to see Dr. Kathryn Benson at River Road Animal Hospital. Dr. Benson (who would eventually become her namesake) placed pins in her leg and wing and we kept her quiet and contained for several more days. The pins were keeping her leg straight, but she removed the restraints on her wing. After two more attempts to repair the wing bones, we decided to apply to keep her as an education bird. She was added to our permit in April 2017.
Though her flight is limited, she behaves like any wild owl–feisty and fierce. She does well at any type of program, and she is a good example of her species.