Remembering King, the Great Horned Owl

Reflection Riding’s male Great Horned Owl, King, passed away June 30, 2023, after a brief battle with cancer.

King came to us as a brancher in the spring of 1993. This was a time in our history when we had a wildlife rehabilitation department at the Chattanooga Nature Center. King arrived with 2 siblings after their tree was felled and they were not reunited with their parents. One sibling passed away, one was rehabilitated and released, and King was released but kept returning. After several failed attempts at release, he was deemed non-releasable and given a home at the nature center. King was trained to be an animal ambassador and remained one of our premier ambassadors for his entire 30-year life. 

King, in the middle, with his two siblings when they arrived at Reflection Riding as branchers.

The amount of people he has reached is really unfathomable. He traveled to hundreds, probably thousands, of schools and events in addition to programs on-site, educating people about owls and their importance within our ecology while impressing all with his spectacular beauty, size, and confidence. King gave people the opportunity to see an owl up close—many for the first time—and to revel in his intricate and impressive features. To look into his large yellow eyes was to be lost in his light. To gaze at his feathers was to be lost in his creation. To stare at his talons was to revere his strength. To teach with him on your arm was a gift and blessing that no one knew better than retired educator, Susan Russell. Susan and King burned up the roads to Chattanooga and North Georgia area schools, libraries, and events. 

They also awed students in our on-site classroom. To hear the gasps and squeals and watch the student’s facial expressions when King was presented in their classroom was to harness the joy of wonder and learning. King quietly commanded attention and kept his admirers starstruck anytime he was around. A simple stroll through the parking lot would bring a flock of people asking about him. The first question was always: what is he? Followed by: what’s his name? These simple questions provided a platform for teaching that allowed our educators to open up the world of owls to our guests. 

Susan remembers, “The best part of sharing this owl with hundreds of school children was the instant wonder in their eyes and the palpable excitement in the air when King was presented. We could always count on him to be our best animal ambassador ever.” Susan has so many wonderful memories of King and remarks that her life has forever been enriched by his presence.

Photo Credit: Jim Pierson

As science and training evolve, new methods of raptor training are developed. After having lived with us for so many years—outlasting many staff members—King was considered a legacy bird because he was originally trained under old-school methods. Our Director of Avian Conservation, Taylor Berry, successfully retrained King in his latter years with force-free methods, giving him the opportunity to make choices within his world. It’s a strong testament to King’s willingness to keep learning that he made this big change, especially in his older years.

King’s legacy is one that will continue to enrich the lives of all those who met and worked with him. As a staff member who worked with King for over 20 years, my teaching skills were honed while working with him as well as my husbandry and training skills. He taught me so many things about myself and allowed me into his world so I could share it with others.

Send your memories and photos of King and let us know how he impressed you to tish@reflectionriding.org. We would love to hear your stories!