When he was just a chick, handlers began preparing Trooper for a career as an ambassador of his species.
Now seven years old, the elderly bird is retiring from his public role with the Saskatchewan Burrowing Owl Interpretive Centre (SBOIC), having already exceeded the life expectancy of his avian brothers and sisters in the wild.
However, Trooper isn’t just going to fade into retirement. In fact, SBOIC is throwing him a big bash and everyone is invited.
“He has reached the age where he is ready to retire,” SBOIC owl co-ordinator Lori Johnson told the Times-Herald on Friday. She said the interpretive centre would hold a retirement party for Trooper, which would double as a fundraising gala for the organization.
The fun begins Sept. 29, with cocktails at 6 p.m., followed by supper entertainment, a live and silent auction, as well as a dance. Held at the Moose Jaw Exhibition Grounds Moose Jaw Convention Centre, the evening will feature a guest speaker from the Nature Conservancy of Canada, as well as a visit from the guest of the honour himself.
Tickets for the fundraising event/retirement celebration cost $30 each and are available at either the SBOIC office or Moose Jaw Exhibition Company office. For more information, contact SBOIC at 692-8710.
For more on this story, read an upcoming edition of the Times-Herald.
