"Justice" was one of the Great Horned Owlets that was being raised by his parents on the grounds of the Kane County Courthouse in Geneva in the spring of 2007. The spectacle of a family of owls in downtown Geneva enthralled thousands of curious fans. Unfortunately, little "Justice" fell from the nest and broke his wing. Unable to fly, he sought refuge in a window well at the courthouse. It was from there that Kane County Animal Control workers rescued him and took him to Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation for care. At the rehab center, "Justice" underwent surgery to repair his broken wing, but in the process lost about one centimeter of length due to the nature of the break. Although "Justice" can fly a bit, he can't fly well enough to be released into the wild. As a result, "Justice" is now one of the educational animals at Flint Creek and visits Chicagoland-area groups, helping to teach them about animal rehab.  (All photos on this page courtesy of Chuck Peterson.)

"Justice" played to a full house at the Pottawatomie Community Center in St. Charles. About 130 people packed the meeting room to see the owl's return. It was difficult to determine who was more thrilled - the kids or the adults.

"Justice" is a small adult male Great Horned Owl. He weighs about 1100 grams, or almost 2½ pounds. In contrast, "Boudicca," an adult female Great Horned Owl at Flint Creek, weighs 1800 grams, or about 4 pounds. Female raptors typically are larger than their male counterparts.

The paparazzi was hungry for pictures of the star of the show. "Justice" came to the community center with fellow raptors, "Volo," a male Red-tailed Hawk, and "Kotori," a female red-phase Eastern Screech Owl.

"Justice" was accompanied by Dawn Keller, the founder and executive director of Flint Creek Wildlife Rehabilitation Center, a privately-funded animal rehab center that will gladly accept donations.

If you'd like more information about Great Horned Owls, please follow this link to a reference that Ann Haverstock prepared for the 2008 courthouse owls.