In 2006, the West Sound Wildlife Shelter became home to a beautiful great horned owl. This owl was born with a congenital wing deformity that leaves him unable to fly well enough to survive in the wild. The wildlife rehabilitation facility to which he was brought (in Texas) was required by law to either euthanize him or find him a home as an educational ambassador. Lucky for this owl, the facility in Texas decided to try and find him a home and we had starting looking for an educational ambassador to start our live-animal education program. Orion came to us in December. He flew up here on Northwest Airlines.

We invited the children of Kitsap County to name this owl. The winning name was “Orion.” To read about the winner and semi-finalist in the Name-the-Owl Contest, click here. Orion gave his first educational presentations in the spring of 2007 and is becoming more popular every year. He has warmed the hearts and filled the minds of hundreds of children and adults.

How to Request a Presentation by Orion

Orion, working with Mike Pratt, the Shelter's Director of Wildlife Services, is ready to give an educational presentation to your classroom, civic group, library, or other forum. For these types of public programs, we charge a small fee of $100 - $400. For a larger fee, Orion and Mike will give a presentation to a private group, such as a children's birthday party. Generally, Mike and Orion are only able to give presentations from October - April. To inquire about a presentation, please call Mike Pratt at 206-855-9057.

How to Sponsor Orion

Please support our education program by sponsoring Orion. You can sponsor Orion by donating $50 to us. in return, we’ll send you a photo of Orion and a certificate of sponsorship AND we’ll invite you and your family to a special presentation where you can meet Orion up close and personal.

To sponsor Orion, type in the amount of your sponsorship in the box below ($50 or more) then fill in the boxes below and hit the "Proceed to Secure Server" button.