Calgary Zoo releases 15 young owls into wild, marking 1st for Alberta

Fifteen young burrowing owls deemed likely to die in2016 have survived the winter in captivity and been released into the wild, marking a first for owl conservation in Alberta.

It's being touted as a "monumental milestone" for the Calgary Zoo's inaugural year of a conservation project that takes owlets into captivity during their fragile first year when they'd face a dangerous migration.

• Calgary Zoo hopes pilot project will mitigate decline in burrowing owls

Wild populations of burrowing owls have declined by 90 per cent since the 1990s, and the population continues to deteriorate, said the zoo in a release.

"For the first time we are saving individual owls from the trials of long-distance migration, reinforcing a populationand determining effectiveness through satellite-tracking across three countries," saidAxelMoehrenschlager, conservation director at the Calgary Zoo.

All 7 pairs mate and lay eggs

Research on wild owls showsthe population is especially fragile between the time owlets fledge from their nests and when they should returnas one-year-olds to breed in Canada, said TroyWellicome, senior species-at-risk biologist with the Canadian Wildlife Service.

The head-starting project artificially circumventsthat stage of high mortality.

All eight femaleand seven male owls chosen in 2016 were outfitted with satellite transmitters and introduced into their new burrows this spring.

After being released in pairs, the one-year-old owls settled into their burrows, mated, and all seven pairs have laid eggs. It is hoped that these offspring will hatch and join their parents' fall migration to Mexico or the southern U.S.

The burrowing owl head-starting project is the first of its kind in Western Canada and involves Environment and Climate Change Canada, Canadian Wildlife Service (CWS), and Alberta Environment and Parks.

The second year of the project will continue in 2017 with a new set of owlets gathered this summer.

"By using science, I believe we can make a positive difference for this cherished Canadian species over the years to come," saidMoehrenschlager.