A Little Rescue Owl Takes A Bath, And The “After” Photos Are Hilarious
A tiny rescue owl in New Zealand just wanted to get back to normal, but first it had to survive a medicated bubble bath. The patient at Massey Wildbase animal hospital needed treatment for a mild skin infection, and the whole process was far less charming than it sounds.
Morepork owls are not fans of getting wet, and this one was no exception. Staff knew the bath would be necessary, but the bird clearly did not see it as a spa day, which made the whole ordeal even funnier once the photos started circulating.
The after shots are the part people cannot stop looking at.
As it turned out, owls owe their dignified appearance to the puffiness of their plumage. If they get wet, it changes that appearance dramatically.
"He's a smaller bird but in lovely condition," Nijman said. "Though once all the fluff is wet, they look frightfully pathetic!"
The little bird was washed with chlorhexidine to address the infection and then rinsed. "He was NOT pleased," Nijman said.
She dried him a bit with a towel and then placed him under an air blower to complete the drying process. "He did dry up rather nicely!" she added.
That is one very unhappy bath day.
This is similar to the team’s urgent rescue of a baby albino elephant after days of captivity.
Once completely dry and with his plumage all fluffy again, the little owl was returned to the aviary, where he joined his fellow moreporks.
If the medical bubble bath does its job properly and he doesn't need another one, the "tortured" little bird will be released back into the wilderness soon.
Several hundred animals pass through Massey Wildbase every year, and many of them are endangered species. Even though they don't always find the treatments pleasant, they can sense that it's for their own good.
Hopefully, this little owl's next bath is a long way off.
That “pink blob” turned into a rescue when a cyclist raced to save the life in distress, here’s how it went down.
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