Farewell to Oscar
It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Oscar, the Great Horned Owl. For 39 years Oscar was a much-loved Ambassador and will be deeply missed by all of us. In her role as Ambassador, Oscar and the staff and volunteers who worked with her, provided education about owls and New Mexico’s native wildlife to countless thousands of children and adults. In addition to being a wildlife education Ambassador, Oscar acted as a surrogate parent for scores of Great Horned Owlets keeping them from becoming imprinted on humans and allowing their return to the wild. Oscar’s rescue was the catalyst for what is now New Mexico Wildlife Center. Without Oscar and the vision of founder Dr. Kathleen Ramsay to create a wildlife rehabilitation facility, the work we now accomplish for New Mexico’s injured and orphaned wildlife would never have become a reality. Share your stories about Oscar with us, and we will post them on this page. Send them to info@newmexicowildlifecenter.org.
From Former Volunteer, Karen Garcia: “I have wonderful memories of taking Oscar to schools and seeing the wide-eyed kids with mouths agape at the site of such a majestic bird. Oscar impressed everyone young and old. She probably had an impact on more people than any other raptor we had, not only because of all the years doing programs with her, but also because she had such a regal presence about her. I thank her for all the years of wowing audiences and volunteers.”
From NMWC Executive Director, Matthew Miller: “I really enjoyed telling Oscar’s story to visitors. Her story was a great example of bringing together our wildlife rehabilitation work and conservation education. Oscar’s story connected with people – they got it. Even though Oscar was fully retired it was always reassuring to walk by her enclosure and see her seemingly keeping an eye on one and all.”
