Ninem is a burrowing owl who was a permanent resident at the BC Wildlife Park for seven years.
Image Credit: SUBMITTED/ Shayna Marshall
December 21, 2023 - 7:00 PM
A burrowing owl called Ninem died of an aneurysm at the wildlife park in Kamloops earlier this month after acting as an ambassador for her species for seven years.
The owl was born out of the park’s burrowing owl breeding program in 2016 but it was too small to compete for food with the rest of the clutch, so was hand raised to ensure her survival. The park was given permission by the province to keep the owl as a permanent resident.
“If burrowing owls are kept in captivity and well cared for they can live to around 12 years of age,” said animal care centre manager at the park, Tracy Reynolds. “The sudden death of Ninem came as a shock. We think she had a stroke or aneurysm. These things can happen.”
The burrowing owl is one of the most endangered birds in Canada’s grasslands with fewer than 1,000 pairs believed to exist, according to Wildlife Preservation Canada. The owls are small and nest in burrows dug by other animals, feeding on rodents, large insects, reptiles and amphibians.
In BC the owls were once listed as extirpated from habitat loss, fragmentation and pesticide use but a small population has been re-established with efforts from wildlife preservation groups like the Burrowing Owl Conservation Society the park is a part of. The park has a breeding facility and releases young birds into the wild every year.
“Across the country and the states they (burrowing owls) are declining,” Reynolds said. “They rely on species that make burrows and some of those species are declining. The owls have huge migratory routes and are not returning in high numbers. There could be multiple factors there, the society is trying to figure that out.”
Ninem met thousands of people through her time as an ambassador for burrowing owls.
“Ninem brought awareness to the plight of the owls.”
The BC Wildlife Park burrowing owl was given the name Nìnem meaning "hoot of an owl" in Secwépemcstin.
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