The staff at the Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre, located on the Moose Jaw Exhibition Grounds, had to deal with a different kind of pandemic this year.  

As cases of Avian Influenza rose this past summer, the Burrowing Owl centre had to take precautions for the safety of the endangered birds.  

“Unfortunately, our owls had to remain off public display until the beginning of July,” said owl coordinator Lori Johnson.  

According to the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, there have been 32 infected premises since April in Saskatchewan. With fewer than 1,000 Burrowing Owls believed to be in Saskatchewan and Alberta, the safety of the birds was paramount.  

The Burrowing Owls have since been put back on public display.  

“Fortunately, things did pick up once the owls were back outside, but we're still struggling with lower revenue and lower numbers in comparison to pre-pandemic numbers,” Johnson said.  

The Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre currently has 11 Burrowing Owls. They had successful hatches this year, adding five young owls to the flock.  

Meanwhile, the staff is mourning the loss of one of their ambassador owls “Peanut” who passed away a few weeks ago. The centre still has one ambassador owl, Cricket, who travels around when the centre gives presentations.