Great horned owl missing after break-in at Baraboo Ochsner Park Zoo
3 min read
At least a person terrific horned owl is even now missing right after an unique or team broke into Baraboo’s Ochsner Park Zoo previously this 7 days and released many animals, according to authorities.
On possibly Monday evening or Tuesday morning, a human being or individuals cut all of the padlocks on the exterior gates of the zoo and entered, Baraboo Police Main Rob Sinden reported.
About 60 animals of 30 different species reside at the absolutely free-admission zoo, which opened in 1926, according to Mike Hardy, Baraboo’s parks, recreation and forestry director.
After inside, the culprit cut off amongst 15 and 20 padlocks on animals’ enclosures and also propped doorways open, Sinden said.
“It was a apparent intent to try out to stir all those animals or release animals,” Sinden explained.
Sinden believes releasing animals was the goal, not financial get, he added.
They have been unsuccessful at opening “any unsafe animal cages,” but did try entry into a bear cage, Sinden said.
“Thank goodness that they had been not ready to open up that doorway,” he mentioned. “That could have been exceptionally harmful for men and women in our neighborhood.”
When the monkey exhibit was opened, the monkeys did not go away, Hardy reported. The person(s) also kicked in a fence panel to the place the goats and pigs stay.
4 animals still left the premises: two otters and two terrific horned owls.
“They are not applied to remaining out,” Sinden said.
Skilled care and having somebody feed them is all they know, he stated.
On Tuesday afternoon, the two lacking otters were found together by a kayaker future to the nearby Baraboo River’s riverbank.
“They ended up discovered to be happy and healthy,” Sinden claimed.
On Thursday morning, what seems to be a person of the lacking owls was recaptured, according to Hardy.
Veterinarian team are working to validate the animal’s id and are examining for any injuries, he said in an e mail. But zookeepers are “fairly confident” it is really one particular of the lacking owls.
The however-missing owl has no bodily marking or tag that would make visual identification quick, Hardy said in an electronic mail. Conduct would be the best way to ID it.
“We hope they will not vacation much from the zoo originally, as the region all over the zoo is wooded in addition to their only known food items supply has been in the zoo,” Hardy said.
Although the owl does have the actual physical capability to hunt, it has by no means had to master how to, he discussed, so it could turn into weak and devote extra time on the ground.
“Also, as they are imprinted, they will likely be extra employed to human exercise and may well be less very likely to fly absent on seeing men and women nearby,” he said.
Sinden urged people who might place the missing owl to not to method it them selves. As a substitute, contact the Baraboo Police Department at 608-356-4895.
“We have the zoo industry experts on stand-by,” he mentioned.
Ochsner — which has an yearly attendance of about 48,000 folks — relies on donations to care for the animals, Hardy claimed in an e-mail. Summer hours are 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. day-to-day.
The zoo was closed for “investigation needs” on Tuesday and reopened Wednesday.
Call Hannah Kirby at hannah.kirby@jrn.com. Follow her on Twitter at @HannahHopeKirby.
