Going Through the Motions: Supporting nesting behaviors of unreleasable owls

From Center for Wildlife

Gaia and Galileo have laid their first eggs of 2026!

This sweet, permanently injured ambassador couple have been a bonded pair at CFW since Gaia's arrival in 2011. We are honored to report that Gaia and several of our other female ambassadors lay eggs each year, which is a sign of their health, low stress levels, appropriate nutrition and access to sunlight. The eggs are not fertile, and due to Gaia and Galileo's injuries, it is virtually impossible for them to achieve fertility. Although we have never seen any fertilized eggs from our ambassadors, we always candle our ambassador's eggs first to be sure - checking the eggs in the dark by holding a light up to them to look for a yolk sac indicating fertilization. Once the eggs are confirmed infertile, we hollow them out and use them as educational tools!

Although the eggs that Gaia and Galileo produced weren't viable - try telling them that! They maintain all their wild instincts to fiercely protect their babies, but we can't let infertile eggs sit in their enclosures where they will eventually go bad. So, our ambassador caretakers must embark on an intimidating expedition..

They must "Indiana Jones-style" switch the eggs out for lacrosse balls! That way, Gaia can feel like a good mother warming her eggs, while we don't have to leave any real eggs in there to become rotten. While a caretaker takes Gaia for a walk and weight check, another staff member swaps out the eggs. Allowing them to go through the motions of nesting, laying and incubating eggs allows them to go through their natural cycles and processes, something we always try to foster with their outdoor enclosures and habitat setups. Once her maternal hormones have subsided, we can safely remove her "eggs" (lacrosse ball babies), and she can return happily to her child-free life until next year's breeding season!

Good job Gaia and Galileo!