Moreporks at ARRC Wildlife Trust

Moreporks at ARRC Wildlife Trust

Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BBuoUIDFTwY

Moreporks are native owl residents of New Zealand. They are nocturnal (active at night) and hunt insects as well as small birds, reptiles and mice. Unfortunately, their night time hunting habits lead them to the road where they are hit by cars. ARRC often attends to moreporks that have been found on the side of the road by people passing by.

The impact injuries that these gorgeous owls usually sustain following these accidents are broken wings and head injuries which may affect their vision. Sometimes their eyes are severely damaged and they are unable to be rehabilitated to the wild because they are so dependent on accurate vision for hunting.

Thank goodness many of the owls which are brought to ARRC can be treated and recover extremely well.  This little morepork was found on the side of the road in Omokoroa. He was collapsed and a veterinary examination revealed that he had moderate bruising and abrasions to his head and wing, he was dehydrated and his condition was poor. More than likely he had been hit by a car a couple of days before and lost condition as well as become dehydrated as he was too injured to find food.

He was treated with fluids, pain relief and some homeopathic medicine to aid his recovery. The next morning, he was standing up and ready to eat some food! Two weeks later he was released after making a full recovery.

If you find an injured morepork, approach it quietly and then use a towel to cover its head and wings and allowing it to grasp the towel with its talons. Be careful to keep your fingers out of the way as their talons are very sharp! Place the morepork in a box with the towel so that it has something to grip onto and then contact ARRC on 579 9115.

For those of you interested in learning the basics of how to rescue and care for sick, injured or abandoned birds have a look at www.learnbirdcare.com

Read more about Moreporks that we treat at ARRC in “Manu’s Mishap”, one of our 10 books that is part of the ARRC Kids Adventure Series to educate children about man’s impact on our natural heritage and what they can do to help. They’re all based on true stories with fun facts and beautifully illustrated (by some wonderful artists who donated their time and talent)  http://www.arrc.org.nz/education/

Manu’s Mishap is a story about a Morepork that gets caught in a trucks path as he is flying so he needs help from ARRC to recover as he’s badly injured and Dave the truck-driver is devastated but delighted when Manu makes a full recovery. This book has been beautifully illustrated by Michael Bogalo who kindly donated his time and expertise, thank you Michael!