Ah, Bubo bubo. (We've always loved that funny Latin name.) They really are huge! But I'm sort of used to them from childhood, in a book-reading, zoo-visiting, animal rescue station-visiting way, plus their Czech name actually includes the word "big"; so it never occurred to me to wonder at their size. :-) (Ravens were more fascinating, because I was more used to the smaller rooks.) But imagine how huge Narnian Eagle Owls would be if Snow Owls can carry human children! I think I need to include some in The Peridan Chronicles...
There is that interesting bit about it (her!) possibly having been reared by humans. I don't know about Netherlands; here there is a network of animal rescue stations (for wildlife) where you can bring injured and abandoned animals. I believe the usual policy is for adults to heal and let go again if possible, and keeping some of the young who would not know how to behave in the wild. Like, if you see European brown bears at a Czech chateau or in a zoo, they're there because they would have been rescued as cubs. Birds of prey often go to falconers - some rescue stations have falconing programs for the public that help them raise money and educate the public (and several are actually situated at chateaus/castles, because it's a mutually supportive arrangement). And I believe some of that training is to teach the birds to hunt; those who are good at it may be sent into the wild after all. Something like that.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2015-03-05 09:13 am (UTC)There is that interesting bit about it (her!) possibly having been reared by humans. I don't know about Netherlands; here there is a network of animal rescue stations (for wildlife) where you can bring injured and abandoned animals. I believe the usual policy is for adults to heal and let go again if possible, and keeping some of the young who would not know how to behave in the wild. Like, if you see European brown bears at a Czech chateau or in a zoo, they're there because they would have been rescued as cubs. Birds of prey often go to falconers - some rescue stations have falconing programs for the public that help them raise money and educate the public (and several are actually situated at chateaus/castles, because it's a mutually supportive arrangement). And I believe some of that training is to teach the birds to hunt; those who are good at it may be sent into the wild after all. Something like that.