"He was not pleased ..."
Recently, a new patient was admitted to the Massey Wildbase animal hospital in New Zealand — a type of little owl called a morepork. He'd come down with a mild skin infection. Fortunately for the little owl, it's a relatively easy problem to treat. But there was one issue.
He'd need to be given a bath.
According to Pauline Nijman, one of the supervisors at Wildbase, owls seem to dislike getting wet. And the photos taken during the process are proof that the little guy was less than thrilled.
"He's a smaller kid but in lovely condition," Nijman said. "[Though] once all the fluff is wet, they look frightfully pathetic!"
The owl was washed with chlorhexidine to address the infection and then rinsed clean. "He was NOT pleased," Nijman wrote.
Once back to his old fluffy self, the rescued owl was returned to the clinic's aviary, where he was joined by several other moreporks who are being rehabilitated there.
"He has recovered well from his ‘ordeal,’" Nijman said.
With any luck, just that one medicinal bubble bath will be all that's needed to clear up the owl's skin issue. If that's the case, he'll be released back into the wild, good as new.