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Texas Connects Us: Center Helps Injured Birds Heal

The folks at Collin County's Blackland Prairie Raptor Center know a lot about healing and letting go.

It's a clinic where injured birds are nursed back to good health.

"It's so satisfying to know that we can take a bird that was injured in the wild and would die out in the wild and release it," rehabilitation manager Liz Dunn said. "It's a lot of long, hard hours, and a lot of sweat and a lot of heartache."

The workers with big hearts are a mix between doctors and social workers.

"We check them out from head to toe," Dunn said. "They get a patient chart, just like anyone else in the hospital would get."

Just about three months ago, four barn owls arrived. They had been left in a box to fend for themselves when they were recovered by the Kaufman Police Department.

"They have to prove that they can hunt and take care of themselves before we let them go," Dunn said.

With a little room to grow and a steady diet, the owls are now ready to spread their wings.

"I'll get choked up, cause it's just unbelievable," Dunn said. "Just even talking about it, I get teary eyed."

The owls, just like other birds the center helps rehabilitate, flew to find their new homes.

MORE: Blackland Prairie Raptor Center

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