Think Wild is Central Oregon’s nonprofit wildlife hospital and conservation center, caring for sick, injured and orphaned native wildlife while educating the public about coexistence and stewardship. Since opening for animal care in 2020, Think Wild has grown in staffing, services and the number of wildlife helped directly at its hospital. The spring and summer of 2025 were the busiest yet, with over 800 patients cared for so far.
Our level of expertise has also improved, with updated lab equipment and surgical training. Think Wild’s Wildlife Veterinarian, Dr. Laura Acevedo, has been performing difficult orthopedic surgeries on birds that would previously have been euthanized due to the severity of their injuries.
As a veterinarian myself, a photographer, and a visual storyteller, I want to share one of these journeys — the story of a Great Horned Owl that benefited from Think Wild’s meticulous veterinary and rehabilitative care.
On July 20, a Great Horned Owl (abbreviated GHOW) was admitted to the hospital by one of our wildlife technicians, Savanna. A concerned citizen brought the owl in after finding it in Redmond on a busy street, unable to fly and with an obvious wing injury. Savanna evaluated the bird and identified a right humeral fracture (a main bone in the wing) and some eye trauma — most likely the result of being hit by a car. Owls fly at dusk and dawn, often flying very low. They are difficult to see and indeed easy to collide with as they traverse the urban-wildlife interface that we share.
The owl, now identified as GHOW 25-503, was treated with pain medication and sedation, given fluids and admitted for ICU care. Radiographs confirmed a severe fracture, but Dr. Acevedo decided to take on the challenge — no guarantees, but worth trying. On July 23, she performed surgery to pin and stabilize the owl’s humerus.
Over the next seven weeks, while the bone healed, physical therapy was performed several times a week to maintain flexibility and flight strength. As in humans, PT is essential for birds recovering from injuries to maintain flexibility and range of motion for flight. During this time, the bird was hand fed, or allowed to eat the provided “gourmet specialty” food (rats). There were times of handwringing about a possibility of infection at the site of the pin entry, all treated appropriately, and it never became a significant issue. By Sept. 10, the fracture had healed and the pin was removed.
For the next three weeks, the bird entered “flight camp” to rebuild muscle strength. Then, on Oct. 3, GHOW 25-503 was released back to the wild, and Dr. Acevedo did the honors. She related her good feeling that we are now seeing the benefits of being able to do orthopedic surgery, and hopefully this will be the first of many releases to come. This is the first bird of prey that we have released after a humerus repair, and it is truly a milestone. As the cage was opened from the top, the bird mantled defensively before realizing… (anthropomorphism alert) I CAN FLY AWAY! A short flight to a large branch, and the owl allowed the team to be voyeurs for a bit, taking some pictures and feeling really awesome that this owl gets to continue being an owl in the wild.
I asked a couple of staff members for some reflections on this patient:
“I was thinking the other day how this bird would have been euthanized on admission a couple of years ago because we wouldn’t have been able to repair that fracture,” said Lead Wildlife Technician Savanna Scheiner. “It’s pretty cool that we’re continuing to learn and expand the treatment options we have for these animals.”
“I am so proud of this team for releasing our first successful humeral orthopedic repair,” added Director of Wildlife Rehabilitation Pauline Hice. “Being able to offer this level of treatment is such a huge step forward for our hospital. With every new skill and capability we add, we’re opening the door for more animals to return to the wild where they belong.”
Sue Dougherty, DVM, MA, DACVIM, is a veterinarian, wildlife photographer, and the board president of Think Wild, Central Oregon’s wildlife hospital and conservation center based in Bend.
This article appears in the Source November 6, 2025.
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