He was hit by a car during one of his evening hunts. The impact was so violent that he was left lying on the spot. An examination at the rescue centre found a complicated wing fracture that could no longer be repaired, and the vet had to amputate the wing. The owl spent several months recovering at the centre and then moved to his new home in the zoo corner. We call him Kub\u00edk the hiker, because he does not fly, only hops along the ground. Apart from that he likes to sit in his favourite spot on a raised stump and look around. When he feels threatened, he shows it by hissing and clacking his beak.<\/p>\n
Am\u00e1lka, the female eagle-owl,<\/strong> was found in 2017 with jesses on her legs. She had been kept illegally in captivity and had flown away from her owner. We were unable to find him, and as Am\u00e1lka was already used to people and lacked the natural wariness of a wild animal, we kept her with us. Although she is not afraid of people, she does not like shouting or loud noises. She sometimes takes fright, panics and flies into the aviary wall. To stop her hurting herself and grazing her wings, we have secured the side walls of the aviary with green netting. It pays to be especially quiet near Am\u00e1lka. When she is in a good mood, she greets the keepers entering the aviary with a hoot.<\/p>\n