A beloved ambassador for the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota has died. Whisper, a barn owl, was 18.
The Raptor Center announced her passing Thursday.
Whisper was born in a captive breeding program designed to raise barn owls for release and education. She arrived at the Raptor Center in 2004.
“She would have been 19 years old next spring, which means she had long since exceeded the normal wild life span for her species of 2-3 years,” the center wrote on Facebook, adding Whisper ” touched the lives of quite literally hundreds of thousands of people by engaging in education programs and, for some audiences, demonstrating the magical silent flight of many owls.”
Whisper would occasionally startle unsuspecting staff members with her nighttime barn owl screech, the center shared.
“Although she has left us, her presence has made a deep and lasting impression on staff, volunteers, and visitors alike,” it added.
