Dakota doing better, moved to aviary
Staff at the Wildlife In Need Center was happy to report Tuesday that Dakota has moved from the small enclosure he has been in since his rescue to a large indoor aviary.
A Facebook post on the center's page shared the news.
"He has finally reached a weight that allowed his vet to give the 'OK' for him to move. He still has some weight to gain before being at his normal weight, but he's getting closer.
"Also he was able to have his first fully furred whole prey meal today. He finished his meal in under 30 seconds ... he loved it!" the post continues.
The indoor aviary is a new feature in the center's new, expanded facility. It will allow center staff to slowly decrease the temperature to re-acclimate Dakota to outside temps as he recovers.
The great horned owl was taken from the center in mid-November. Two Dousman teens were later interviewed by sheriff's detectives when a tip about a photo of a person holding the owl was posted on Facebook. The teens, Matthew Kuhlemeyer and Dilan White admitted to taking the owl. They said they went to a house in the area of Hunters Lake and the owl got away from them there flying into the woods.
After weeks of searching staff was able to recapture Dakota with the help of residents in the area. He had lost more than 30 percent of his body weight and staff said he was a mere days from death. The owl having lived in captivity for most of his life does not know how to hunt in the wild.
The teens have a hearing on Thursday, Dec. 29. They both face charges of felony burglary and misdemeanor property damage.
Watch this website for updates on Dakota and a more in-depth story about the newly expanded Wildlife In Need Center.
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12 Comments
MilwaukeeWoman1 - Dec 28, 2011 8:33 AM
Dont drink the tea - Dec 28, 2011 9:07 AM
We must do everything to prevent rich mommy and daddy from enabling these two.
Js....keep the updates coming as they work their way through the courts
opinion8d - Dec 28, 2011 9:36 AM
I don't believe they left it to die......it flew away -on it's own. Maybe going back to nature where it belongs????
I agree with having them compensate the center for the rehab though and do fully support the Center. They should be punished, but let's be reasonable -it's an animal -it wasn't killed or tortured. Obviously the kids weren't thinking....
KenThree - Dec 28, 2011 10:05 AM
Somebody left that animal to die.
BettyV - Dec 28, 2011 10:13 AM
GEM217 - Dec 28, 2011 10:25 AM
KenThree - Dec 28, 2011 10:37 AM
PewaukeeMike - Dec 28, 2011 10:38 AM
I actually agree with both of you. The inherent problem with this story is the Wildlife in Need Center has humanized this owl - both in name & their treatment. This bird has become a pet. And as we all know, pets have feelings and must be coddled.
If this owl was not rescued, it would have died or been killed. Other animals & insects would have been benefited by eating the owl's carcass.
GEM217 - Dec 28, 2011 10:55 AM
reneejw - Dec 28, 2011 11:05 AM
Don’t be so easy on the boys, saying "its just a prank, or they didn’t mean it. BS………..I know that they have tortured animals in the past, including be-heading them. What if they were going to do that to Dakota? they SHOULD be punished………there is NO escuse for this kind of thing. None at all!
The pic they took of him on facebook, is pure terror on Dakota's face………makes everyone I know sick to their stomach. Dakota is like a pet to everyone at winc, how would you feel if this was your pet??
MKEkid - Dec 28, 2011 12:33 PM
I had little hope of this incident coming out as well as it did when I first read of the burglary. I agree that the WI criminal justice system will continue to have run ins with these two cruds in the future. This is not an isolated incident. Speaking from 20+ years of job experience in the field.
Pokkadot - Dec 28, 2011 1:30 PM
"it flew away on its own....let's be reasonable -it's an animal -it wasn't killed or tortured."
Really? Really? The owl was stolen, fled its abductors and its the owl's fault that it nearly starved to death? And starving to death is not torture?
After reading this and your other posts defending these boys because 'it is just an animal' leaves me wondering about your connection to them.