A River of Rehab

Have you ever seen a Great Grey Owl? They can stand up to two or three feet tall, but did you know they only weight two to three pounds? It’s mostly made up by an umbrella of feathers. So here at the Medicine River Wildlife Centre, found just outside of Innisfail they take in birds that are damaged by human interactions. Some by cars, others by storms. The crew was here to shoot a part of an upcoming episode of Jack Hanna’s Into the Wild, seen around the world on weekly TV. Jack and his wife Suzi got to participate in a release of two great grey owls. One stuck around and posed for pictures…it just couldn’t find its hand with the pen for autographs. These creature are fascinating, their eyes gripping and hold a stare. The biggest park of releasing them back into the wild, is trying to bring them out for release. Try capturing a 15 pound Bald Eagle that is in the rafters 30 feet over the forest floor.

“Our show is very hand-on, our audience at home can identify with the stories of most of the animals, and these places are always scraping to get by financially and are looking for the attention. It’s more than money than and there are these people who are struggling to keep the place going, we can get up close and personal.”

“Its amazing to be able to see them handled and released while we capture all that on film.” When we film eagles or other birds in the wild, it’s tough to get Jack and the birds in the same shot.” Rick

In the history of the centre they have dealt with over 170 species.

Like the Black Guillemot- a sea bird who got caught up in an airplane hitching a ride out from Newfoundland and into Fort Mac.

A Great Grey Owl own weights two to three pounds- they look huge but are really really light, they are under a huge umbrella of feathers…..

Two owns released- one hit by a car the other got injured in a hail storm. The owls’ really were something, huge birds that have an impressive wing span.

Two weeks ago a major hail storm came through and destroyed the house as well as the vinyl siding. “You can see how that would be damaging to the owl.” The house looked like it had been caught in a tornado- you could have swore the house was from a picture out the wake of Katrina in New Orleans.