Wildlife Conservation Takes Flight at the National Elephant Center

On July 18, representatives from the Treasure Coast Wildlife Center, Waste Management and The National Elephant Center released four barn owls rescued from a construction site. The owls’ new home includes open woodlands and prairie habitat suitable for their survival. The property includes the future home of The National Elephant Center, a new model for excellence in elephant care and conservation, which plans to welcome its first elephants in late 2009. The owls were rescued as chicks by Treasure Coast Wildlife Center staff members, who not only kept them alive but prepared them for life in the wild. Now fully grown, they are being released into natural habitat owned by Waste Management and certified by the Wildlife Habitat Council. The protected space, along with the addition of owl boxes built by Okeechobee Boy Scout Troup 964, will ensure the barn owls thrive in their new home.