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After being stuck in an Orange County glue trap, he found a large horned owl in a serious sticky situation, making it fly-free and food-free.
Luckily, a good Samaritan found the bird and brought it to a local wildlife centre in Huntington Beach. Unfortunately, the person used scissors to cut off the bird’s wings from sticky materials intended to trap rodents and pests.
“We’ve seen a lot of trouble with our customers,” said Debbie McGuire, executive director of the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center. “But it seriously retreated bird rehabilitation, so now we have to go through a full molt to get those wings back together.”
Unlike hair, bird feathers should not continue to grow even after cutting. Most owls undergo a complete molt once a year, remove their wings and grow new ones. However, large species such as large horned owls tend to molt slowly, and can take more than two years to replace all their wings.
The owl, packed in adhesive traps, was brought to the Huntington Beach Wetlands and Wildlife Care Centre. He was then taken to the Orange County Bird of Play Center for rehabilitation.
(Warm and Wildlife Care Centre)
In the best case scenario, the injured bird will regenerate enough feathers to fly and return to the wild within a year. However, healing can take time. In that case, the furious thing that has been raised with domesticated raptors may be too long for it to reintegrate naturally.
“If that’s true, he could never be released and become an educational ambassador who teaches us all how to not use glue traps,” McGuire said.
The birds were transported to the Huntington Beach Wetlands and Wildlife Care Centre on July 23, where staff used vegetable oils and solvents to gently remove the remaining adhesive over time. The birds were washed, fed, and watered, then transported to Orange County Bird Birds, where they began their rehabilitation journey.
It is unclear how long it will take for the owl to recover, or if it will be able to return to the wild afterwards.
(Warm and Wildlife Care Centre)
The center hopes that the bird’s trials will serve as a warning about the dangers of glue traps. This is prohibited in countries such as the UK, Iceland and New Zealand, as well as in cities in West Hollywood and Ojai.
In an announcement of public services regarding the Center’s social media accounts, Elizabeth Woods, the veterinarian who treated the bird, said: “Even those pests are a terrible way to die.”
McGuire said the center is calling for animals to be rescued from glue traps at least once a month. This is “too often.” Often, birds are trapped by a snake or rodent, where they land and try to eat it, and are trapped.
In addition to the great horned owl, the center recently rescued Oriol and barn owls from similar traps.
In January 2024, US Rep. Ted Liu (D-Los Angeles) introduced a bill that would ban the state from the “ruthless and inhumane” use of glue traps to catch rodents. However, the proposed law failed to advance beyond the House Subcommittee on Conservation, Research and Biotechnology.
McGuire said it is important that if a bird is clogged with a trap of glue, it is important that the bird does not cut or tear its feathers to release. The best thing to do is wrap the birds and traps in a towel and take them to the animal rescue centre.
Last year, the Wetlands and Wildlife Care Center rehabilitated approximately 8,600 injured or sick animals. McGuire said people living outside of Orange County are always welcome to call the organization.
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