Buzz, April 1998 to February 2011The Wildlife Center was saddened by the loss of a long-time member of its environmental education animal ambassador team last weekend when Buzz the Great Horned Owl passed away.
Buzz came to the Wildlife Center on April 27, 1998 after he was found on the ground, unable to fly. He had fallen out of his nest, and suffered a fracture to the radius and ulna in his left wing. The break was pinned surgically, but the bones didn’t heal straight, leaving him unable to fly well enough to be released.
Buzz began his training as an educational ambassador in June 1998, and went on his first program on August 27. During his career he appeared in more than 1,500 environmental education programs and was seen by nearly 170,000 people. His last public appearance was on January 14, 2011, at an owl program at the Lynchburg Public Library.
Buzz was always a favorite with children, with his impressive size and beautiful yellow eyes. He always kept a close eye on the audience, his handler, and especially any basketball hoops in school gymnasiums — he always seemed a bit uncertain about them. Buzz was often the bird of choice for special events attended by Wildlife Center staff; he accompanied them to numerous receptions around the state, attended the Washington D.C. premiere of the movie “Hoot”, was featured in stage shows during Busch Garden’s Wild Weekends, and appeared with NASCAR driver Ward Burton in a television spot for the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. His solemn gaze and relatively unflappable attitude will be sorely missed.
Always the wise old owl, Buzz did keep one big secret from all of us. Because of his slightly smaller size, Center staff always assumed Buzz was a male. But Buzz’s necropsy revealed that “he” was actually a “she”.
She leaves us with heavy hearts, and some big anklets to fill.
Oh my!
