Bizarre! Owl keeps on a strict diet due to ‘fatty deposits’ [PIC]

8 February 2020, 12:15 IST

Not just humans but birds too face the obesity problem which led them to follow some diet plans. Thanks to social media which brought such important facts that update your knowledge. A fat owl from Suffolk Owl Sanctuary has come to light whose has been named Plump, is facing a problem in flapping its wing because of her weight.

The information about the owl was shared on Facebook which revealed that a bird was found stuck in a ditch, had got too fat to fly after feasting on hoards of field mice and voles there were running around in abundance due to warmer winter in the area.

The owl named Plump has a weight of 245 grams which is thrice more than its peers of the same age and species, Fox News quoted KARE-TV reports.

The bird weighed 245g (about a third heavier than a large healthy female little owl) and she was unable to fly due to the “fatty deposits”.

Plump was then rescued and kept on a dieting regime. However, she is back to normal size.

The Suffolk Owl Sanctuary wrote in its FB post: “This soggy little owl was found in a ditch a few weeks ago. Usually, in these instances we assume injury of sorts that is preventing the owl from flying - occasionally becoming wet causes them to become grounded too - so you can imagine our surprise that when we examined her, we found her to simply be extremely obese!”

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This soggy little owl was found in a ditch. Usually in these instances we assume injury that is preventing the owl from flying - occasionally becoming wet causes them to become grounded too - so you can imagine our surprise that when we examined her, we found her to simply be extremely obese! Upon weighing her, she was a rather chunky 245g (which is roughly a third heaver than a large healthy female little owl) and she was unable to fly effectively due to the fatty deposits. This is unusual for wild birds to get into this condition, so we needed to investigate some obvious scenarios - the first being that she was possibly an escaped aviary bird. Sadly there was no indication of rings or chip identification. We decided to observe the bird over a period of weeks for signs of a life in captivity. Familiarity with foods used in aviaries such as bright yellow chicks (which won’t often be found naturally in the English countryside) are a telltale sign. Luckily, there were no giveaway signs as she was readily taking more wild food types such as dark mice, so we are confident this may just be an unusual case of natural obesity! We also found that the area where she was rescued was crawling with field mice and voles due to the warm and wet winter we experienced in December. She has since spent a few weeks with us under observation and been placed on a strict diet. We can now happily say she has trimmed down to a more natural weight for release. . . . . . #suffolkowlsanctuary #owlsanctuary #animalsanctuary #suffolkwildlife #owl #buzzard #eagle #hawk #kestrel #meerkat #redsquirrel #conservation #wildlifeconservation #wildliferescue #animalrescue #birdsofprey #animalrehabilitation #suffolk #falconry

A post shared by Suffolk Owl Sanctuary (@suffolkowls) on Jan 29, 2020 at 12:01am PST

However, obesity among birds is a rare occurrence, rescue workers find in observation.

A video also shared on FB which showed Plump being released in the wild, flying “off into the British countryside at a much healthier, and happier weight.”

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