Tribute to Ch'Hooly Humboldt Wildlife Care Center has lost a treasured teacher, co-worker and friend, our 10 year old Western Screech Owl, Ch'Hooly. She died of ocular cancer which she had successfully fought for a year. In the time she has been with us, she has helped with hundreds of educational programs, charmed thousands of children, fostered a dozen young screech owl orphans and helped to train many a new education team bird handler. Ch'Hooly came to us in Oct 2000 after having been hit by a Ford F150 truck, probably as she was hunting insects in the headlamp light. The driver pulled over to look for the animal she had hit and finding nothing, drove home. As she dropped the tailgate of the truck, she noticed the two large dogs in the back were reluctant to jump out. Looking further, she saw Ch'Hooly in the bed of the truck, snapping her bill ferociously. Ch'Hooly had sustained a severe head and eye injury. Her right eye eventually collapsed and it became obvious that she was hearing impaired on the right, as well. Because she couldn't hunt prey that was hidden under leaf cover, she was not releasable to the wild. In 2001, we received a permit to use her as an educational ambassador. Early in 2009, Ch'Hooly developed a tumor in her collapsed eye. The tumor and ocular bones were removed by Vickie Joseph DVM, one of the foremost raptor specialists in the western states. The pathologist warned that the tumor was "cellularly bizarre" in nature, so we knew, as we picked her up that she was likely to have a recurrance. She went back to work, fostering two young screech owls in her usual loving (and sometimes, tough loving) fashion. One of those young owls is non-releasable because of a wing injury and recently received its permit to serve as an education ambassador for us. The Education Team would like to thank our veterinarian, Charlene Lea-Shouse and the staff of Arcata Animal Hospital for their care. Words are inadequate to express our gratitude for their compassion and expertise. With heavy hearts, we contemplate the loss of this amazing creature. She was a teacher to many. Her value could never be calculated in dollars. She was, to the end, a noble wild one. She belonged to everyone and no one. She will be missed.