Page
      4
     
    
   
   
    
     
      February
      2009
     
    
   
   
    
     
      CAMPUS
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      AVC
      gives
      a
      hoot
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Atlantic
      Veterinary
      College
      is
      currently
      nursing
      a
      snowy
      owl,
     
     
      which
      includes
      physiotherapy
      and
      feeding
      mice
     
    
   
   
    
     
      By
      Jarrod
      Yeo
     
     
      Panther
      Post
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      ghostly
      white
      plumage
     
     
      of
      the
      snowy
      owl
      resonates
     
     
      its
      Arctic
      origins.
      Native
      to
     
     
      the
      northern
      reaches
      of
      the
     
     
      Canadian
      tundra,
      it
      is
      a
      rare
     
     
      visitor
      to
      Prince
      Edward
      Is-
     
     
      land.
     
    

    
     
      So
      it
      came
      as
      both
      a
      sur-
     
     
      prise
      and
      a
      unique
      learning
     
     
      opportunity
      for
      the
      students
     
     
      and
      staff
      at
      the
      Atlantic
      Vet-
     
     
      erinary
      College
      when
      an
      in-
     
     
      jured
      snowy
      owl
      was
      turned
     
     
      into
      their
      care
      with
      a
      broken
     
     
      wing
      last
      November.
     
    

    
     
      Now
      the
      owl,
      which
      the
      stu-
     
     
      dents
      have
      named
      Hedwig,
     
     
      after
      the
      snowy
      owl
      from
      the
     
     
      Harry
      Potter
      series,
      is
      a
      ce-
     
     
      lebrity
      of
      sorts,
      said
      clinician
     
     
      Hans
      Gelens.
     
    

    
     
      “It’s
      a
      beautiful
      bird
      and
      it’s
     
    
   
   
    
     
      a
      wild
      one,
      which
      is
      a
      bit
      dif-
     
     
      ferent
      than
      seeing
      cats
      and
     
     
      dogs
      everyday.”
     
    

    
     
      While
      the
      cause
      of
      her
      in-
     
     
      jury
      is
      unknown,
      what
      is
     
     
      known
      is
      that
      Hedwig
      is
      very
     
     
      lucky.
     
    

    
     
      When
      discovered
      in
      the
     
     
      brush
      by
      a
      Souris
      West
      resi-
     
     
      dent,
      she
      was
      being
      sized-up
     
     
      by
      a
      red
      fox
      looking
      for
      an
     
     
      easy
      meal.
      Acting
      quickly,
     
     
      the
      resident
      trapped
      Hedwig
     
     
      under
      a
      jacket
      and
      brought
     
     
      her
      into
      the
      AVC
      for
      treat-
     
     
      ment.
     
    

    
     
      Since
      then,
      she
      has
      under-
     
     
      gone
      a
      successful
      surgery
     
     
      to
      repair
      her
      broken
      carpus,
     
     
      which
      is
      roughly
      the
      equiva-
     
     
      lent
      to
      a
      human
      wrist
      bone.
     
     
      Now,
      she
      undergoes
      daily
     
     
      rehabilitation.
     
    

    
     
      That’s
      where
      Amanda
      Fish-
     
     
      er
      comes
      in.
      The
      fourth-year
     
     
      student
      is
      Hedwig’s
      chief
     
    
   
   
    
     
      caretaker
      and
      performs
      tasks
     
     
      she
      never
      envisioned
      herself
     
     
      doing
      when
      she
      decided
      to
     
     
      become
      a
      vet.
     
    

    
     
      “I
      come
      in
      early
      before
     
     
      most
      other
      people
      to
      defrost
     
     
      her
      mice.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Convincing
      an
      owl
      to
      eat
     
    
   
   
    
     
      euthanized
      lab
      mice
      isn’t
      as
     
     
      simple
      as
      it
      sounds,
      she
      said.
     
     
      Initially,
      it
      included
      dismem-
     
     
      bering
      and
      dangling
      mice
     
     
      parts
      in
      front
      of
      the
      nervous
     
     
      bird’s
      beak
      until
      it
      finally
      re-
     
     
      alizes
      it
      is
      food.
     
    

    
     
      “After
      that,
      I
      hide
      a
      few
      of
     
     
      the
      mice
      around
      the
      fly
      pen
     
     
      so
      that
      she
      has
      to
      go
      looking
     
     
      for
      them.
      Yesterday
      she
      ate
     
     
      six
      of
      them.”
     
    

    
     
      Later
      on
      in
      the
      day,
      Fisher
     
     
      must
      capture
      Hedwig
      while
     
     
      wearing
      thick
      leather
      gloves
     
     
      to
      stretch
      out
      the
      healing
     
     
      wing,
      a
      form
      of
      avian
      phys-
     
     
      iotherapy.
      The
      gloves
      are
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Hedwig,
      the
      snowy
      owl,
      has
      been
      given
      refuge
      at
      the
     
    
   
   
    
     
      AVC.
      Yeo
      photo
     
    
   
   
    
     
      needed
      to
      protect
      her
      hands
     
     
      from
      the
      bird’s
      powerful
      tal-
     
     
      ons.
     
    

    
     
      All
      this
      is
      done
      in
      the
      hope
     
     
      Hedwig
      will
      soon
      be
      strong
     
     
      enough
      to
      be
      re-released
     
     
      back
      into
      the
      wild.
     
    

    
     
      So
      why
      did
      she
      turn
      up
      here
     
     
      in
      the
      first
      place?
      Island-
     
     
      ers
      have
      reported
      seeing
      10
     
     
      times
      as
      many
      snowy
      owls
     
     
      across
      the
      province
      this
      win-
     
     
      ter.
      Their
      spread
      throughout
     
     
      the
      Maritimes
      might
      be
      the
     
     
      result
      a
      crash
      of
      the
      lemming
     
     
      population,
      Geland
      said.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      PANTHER
      POST
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
    
   
   
    
     
      “It
      appears
      to
      be
      food
      driv-
     
     
      en,
      the
      owls
      are
      here
      looking
     
     
      for
      smaller
      species
      like
      mice
     
     
      and
      other
      rodents.”
     
    

    
     
      The
      increased
      _
      sightings
     
     
      raised
      alarms
      for
      some
      users
     
     
      on
      the
      CBC
      forum
      which
      ran
     
     
      the
      story
      on
      Jan.
      13,
      citing
     
     
      climate
      change
      as
      the
      reason
     
     
      for
      the
      increase.
      At
      this
      time,
     
     
      Fisher
      says
      it’s
      only
      specula-
     
     
      tion.
     
    

    
     
      “Tt’s
      not
      unusual
      for
      the
      owls
     
     
      to
      travel
      far
      south
      sometimes.
     
     
      Sometimes
      there’s
      many.
     
     
      Sometime
      there’s
      none.”
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Breast
      Cancer
      Study
      is
      Seeking
      Participants
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      research
      team
      is
      looking
      for
      participants
      for
      a
      study
      that
      will
      examine
      the
     
     
      rehabilitation
      of
      young
      women
      under
      the
      age
      of
      50
      after
      breast
      cancer
     
    
   
   
    
     
      treatment.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Are
      you
      under
      the
      age
      of
      50
      and
      currently
      12-24
      months
      past
     
     
      your
      breast
      cancer
      diagnosis?
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      view.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      For
      more
      information
      please
      contact:
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Julie
      Easley
      or
      Naomi
      Tschirhart
      )
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Dalhousie
      University
      Family
      Medicine
      Teaching
      Unit
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Dr.
      Everett
      Chalmers
      Regional
      Hospital
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Fredricton,
      NB
     
    
   
   
    
     
      New
      Phone
      Number:
      1-866-323-1833
      (toll
      free)
      |
     
     
      Email:
      julie.easley@rvh.nb.ca
      or
      naomi.tschirhart@rvh.nb.ca