One morning in Southern California, an unexpected visitor arrived on the porch of a house whose owner was surprised to see who it was. It turned out to be a western owl, but not a conventional one. This one had an amazing characteristic, its eyes seemed to be full of stars like galaxies in the universe. However, his rescuer soon realized that the owl, who they later named Zeus, was injured and blind.
After a visit to the veterinarian to evaluate the small bird’s health, the owl found a home where it would receive all the necessary care. Members of the Wildlife Learning Center in Sylmar, California, decided to adopt the owl. It was there that he received the name Zeus, in honor of the Greek god of the sky because of the little owl’s bewitching eyes.
A cosmic look
His caretakers quickly realized that Zeus was blind and in fact perceived that he was injured. They concluded that the owl reached its rescuer’s porch due to a collision as a result of his blindness. He hit some surface and then fell to the ground. However, the veterinarians helped him recover, although due to his blindness they made the decision not to return him to the wild. An ophthalmologist who is an expert in birds examined him and determined that he only retains 10% of his vision. Under his condition, it would be very difficult for Zeus to avoid predators and other dangers of wildlife.
For this reason, they decided to adopt him and thus provide him with all the necessary care so that he can have a quality life. He now lives permanently at the Wildlife Learning Center Sylmar and is part of the family. The little owl has even learned to coexist with the visitors of the place, who travel there to observe the bewitching gaze of Zeus.
Its eyes have the color of the sky and you can see small whitish specks in them that resemble stars. It’s a condition known as capsular cataract, which causes those tiny starbursts with unique clots of fibrin, a blood pigment. Little Zeus will no longer be able to return to nature, but he is causing a great impact on the consciousness of people who now know the importance of his species.