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McGough Nature Park's New Owl Needs a Name

Help name the park's new male great horned owl.

 
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This rescued owl needs a name.
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The owl was rehabilitated by the Animal Care Center at Busch Gardens.

The George McGough Nature Park wants the community's help in naming the newest addition to their feathered family.

Several months ago an injured great horned owl was brought to Busch Gardens in Tampa. The owl suffered a broken wing after apparently being hit by a car, Nature Program Specialist Joel Quattlebaum said.

The owl was unable to fly, so Busch Gardens' veterinarian Dr. Black saved the bird's wing through several operations. The bird now has a pin in its humerus bone.

The owl recovered for several weeks at the Busch Gardens' Animal Care Center.

Clearwater Audubon's Barb Walker let the McGough staff know about the injured owl. She knew the nature center's previous great horned owl was apparently taken or released from his cage by someone in January 2011.

The new owl lives temporarily inside the nature center, while a new enclosure is built. Boy Scout Troop 135 will build the structure. The Audubon Society donated the $1,400 for the construction materials. The owl's new home will be built next to the enclosure of Matilda, the barred owl.

Want to help name the owl?

Submit name suggestions online through June 22. The list of names will be narrowed down to the top five. Those names will be posted on Largo's Recreation, Parks and Arts Facebook page, so the community can select the final name.

Update Aug. 20: The owl's name is Franklin. The owl honors the memory of longtime nature center volunteer Franklin Arthur. The name received more than 50 percent of the votes, according to a nature center volunteer. 

Related Topics: Busch Gardens, George McGough Nature Park, great horned owl, and rescued animals

David

8:32 am on Wednesday, May 23, 2012

McGough park is a little hidden jem. I love going there. Never a big crowd or parking problems. I most like to load up on turtle food and watch how many of them come for a meal at the wood dock. It's nice to see a park with most of the land left naturally wooded.

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Melissa Lattman

9:26 am on Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Great points David! I also love going to "the turtle park."

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