A nine week old Lesser Sooty Owl chick has arrived at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney Australia and will be getting straight to work training for the zoo's Free Flight Bird Show. The owl chick, named Griffin, is not yet flying, but Bird Show supervisor Matt Kettle is getting him used to people and crowds by taking him for walks around the zoo.
Kettle even brought the bird to his home as part of his acclimation and his four year old daughter was especially glad for the company and began telling Griffin stories to entertain him. Griffin can also be found in Kettle's lap as the family relaxes and watches television.
Sooty owls are normally nocturnal and very secretive so even in the wild it is rare to spot them. Griffin arrived at the zoo from the Featherdale Wildlife Park where he was born and will be hand-raised in the zoo. He is beginning to jump off things in preparation for flying and he is quickly losing his fluff and growing feathers.
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