Wesley the Owl by Stacey O'Brien 598.97

I am a real animal lover. Because of that I am always a bit hesitant to read non-fiction books about animals - they are never written if the animal is still alive and well! Stacey O'Brien makes me look like an animal-hater. She spent 19 years with a barn owl who was rescued at the age of four days because he had wing damage and would never be able to survive on his own. Early on Wesley thinks Stacey is his mother. That seems reasonable. But later he thinks of her as his mate and that's a bit over-the-top! Wesley never had an owl parent to teach him how to kill mice (the only diet that these owls can live on), so Stacey bought and killed mice for him - for nineteen years!!!! I learned a lot about owls. The love and communication possible between humans and animals - I never doubted it for a second.
You can only read this if you love animals - otherwise you won't believe it is non-fiction!