Napa Wildlife Rescue rehabilitates injured, orphaned birds throughout Napa Country

NAPA, Calif. -- When a pair of baby great horned owls fell out of their nest, Napa Wildlife Rescue came directly to their aid.

"So, how we found them is the tree that they fell out of was in somebody's backyard, so they called us and said they were there," explained Carol Poole of Napa Wildlife Rescue.

One of the owls was placed in an incubator and hand-fed until he grew stronger. Then he was reunited with his sibling and the two spent seven months with the rescue before returning to the wild.

Before taking them in, Napa Wildlife Rescue tried to attract the owls' parents. However, the babies appeared to be abandoned.

"I went and spent a whole day out there and never saw the parents," said Poole. "I went out and played these owl calls to try and attract the parents, and I just didn't see them. So, we couldn't put them back, we had to raise them."

Today, the great horned owls are living successfully in the wild. And more like the siblings are rehabilitated by Napa Wildlife Rescue every day.

"We're the only organization in Napa County that has the appropriate permits to take in wildlife that's injured, orphaned, or ill and rehabilitate it, and release it back into the wild," said Poole. "And it's all done with donations and grants."

Shafer Vineyards began a partnership with Napa Wildlife Rescue by donating land.

"We had a 5-acre piece down near the Napa River that we donated to them," explained Doug Shafer of Shafer Vineyards. "And we built this wonderful flight aviary, which is a structure where they rehabilitate anything that flies."

Shafer has embraced sustainable practices since the 80s, believing that caring for wildlife plays a vital role in the health of our environment.

To learn more about the work of Shafer Vineyards, visit here.

To support wildlife conservation through Napa Wildlife Rescue, go here.