If you haven’t already heard, it’s Odin’s twentieth “clinic birthday”! Help him help our patients by donating for his 20th Birthday Bash at our online fundraising site.
On August 15, 1997, an emaciated juvenile red-tailed hawk made its way to the Wildlife Medical Clinic. Emergency fluid administration via an intraosseous catheter saved his life, and he came to be called “Odin”. With careful attention and diligent husbandry, Odin spent the following months healing and gaining weight and muscle.
However, as with any procedure, the catheterization that saved his life had its risks. An intra-osseous catheter is placed at the joint and goes into the bone marrow – in our most critical patients, this method is the fastest and most efficient method for pumping life-saving fluids into the body. However, if infected, joint problems are permanent and potentially fatal. In Odin’s case, his joint infection was caught early and was treated promptly, but resulted in lasting arthritis in the wing joint that permanently inhibited natural mobility. As hawks, like most bird species, require full range-of-motion in their wings for proper flight and, especially, swift hunting, Odin would never survive in the wild.
Odin has the typical red-tailed hawk inquisitive nature, and he has an unusually calm temperament. These traits, as well as his young and adaptable age, made him a good candidate for our public relations program.
He has served as an ambassador for raptors and all of wildlife for the last two decades. He is well-known in community schools, has received incredible fan mail, and is often featured in local and college news segments.
Odin continues to serve as a champion for local wildlife and current clinic patients. From August 15-25, we are celebrating his incredible story and the lives he’s touched – school children, community members, student volunteers, and more. Help him help our patients by donating for his 20th Birthday Bash at our online fundraising site. By choosing a square and donating the coordinating dollar amount, you can upload your own photo and add it to his birthday collage!
Happy 20th, Odin. We all love you!
