Heat-stressed baby owls rescued

Having trouble dealing with the summer heat? Try being a flightless baby barn owl.

Longtime Poway resident Doug Lalonde watched three youngsters bail out of their sweltering box house in his Harvest Court backyard by jumping 14 feet to the ground on the afternoon of June 20, with temperatures approaching 100 degrees. Lalonde said the trio survived without apparent injury and scooted into some brush for cover from both the heat and predators.

Lalonde starting calling around to find a wildlife rescue group that could pick up and take care of the babies as their mom, who had moved into the box about five months earlier, was nowhere in sight. He said it took over an hour before he finally connected with the Ramona-based Emergency Animal Rescue.

“They were here within 20 minutes,” Lalonde said. Volunteer Jan Pickton took the three owls back home with her, where they spent the night before being transported to the Fund of Animals in Ramona. Pickton said last week the youngsters were doing well and, in compliance with federal law, will be returned to Lalonde’s property once they are flying and can be left on their own. She estimated that would be within a couple of weeks.

Founded in 1993, Emergency Animal Rescue trains volunteers to provide assistance, 24 hours a day, to any animal, domestic or wild, that is in a life-threatening situation. The organization is not a rehabilitation or adoption program. Active members must attend six trainings a year and six public relations events and be available to assist with rescues. Reserve, junior and auxiliary memberships are also available. For more information or to request service, call 760-789-5775 or email ear@rescueteam.com. The organization’s website is emergencyanimalrescue.org.