One morning, someone in Southern California found an injured owl on their porch. It turned out to be a blind Western screech owl with eyes that look like a starry night. After a visit to the vet, the blind owl found a new permanent home at the Wildlife Learning Center in Sylmar, California. He was named “Zeus” after the Greek god of sky and thunder because of his stunning, big eyes.

Zeus was injured when he was found on that front porch in South California, but the dedicated team of animal lovers at the center helped him on his feet again. Since the cute owl was blind, they couldn’t simply release him back into the wild, so he now lives in a trunk on the filing cabinet next to Wildlife Learning Center founder Paul Hahn’s desk. Hahn responded to Bored Panda’s questions about Zeus, so read on for more information and beautiful owl pictures.

More info: wildlifelearningcenter.com | Facebook (h/t: ilostpoints)

This is Zeus, a blind starry-eyed owl who currently lives at the Wildlife Learning Center, Sylmar, California

The little guy was found lying on a front porch near the Wildlife Center. He flew into the wall of a house and hit his head

“He was found emaciated and blind in front of someone’s house in Central California,” Hahn told Bored Panda.

The poor fella was scared, but otherwise undamaged. They discovered that the cause of his accident was his blindness

“Zeus exudes a very peaceful presence and is very calm. He has a very big personality and exhibits a bit of a curious nature”

They couldn’t simply release him into the dangerous wild so they kept him in the Center

“A veterinary ophthalmologist thoroughly examined him, brought him back to health, and deemed him nonreleasable because he only has about 10% of his vision and would not be able survive in the wild on his own”

Since he had mesmerizing starry eyes, they named him Zeus, the God of the Sky

“His general condition is a capsular cataract, the white flecks that glisten in his eyes are caused by unique fibrin/blood pigment clots. These pigments cause a unique starry-eyed look, for which he is well known, hence the name Zeus”

Now Zeus is a full-time resident of Wildlife Learning Center, bringing happiness to every visitor

“He is so camouflaged most people don’t notice him until we point him out. Many other people see him but believe he is a stuffed animal because he is so calm and peaceful. When he wakes and opens his eyes, people gasp. We have had people almost in tears when he reveals his peepers”

He even has a toy friend and loves Halloween!

“It is really special that Zeus’ disability is causing so many people to be aware and care for screech owls and our environment everywhere. He truly is an ambassador to his species”

Zeuss is very friendly and loves to be near people, so if you’re ever in California, be sure to visit him and his friends in the Wildlife Learning Center

If you liked Zeus’s story, be sure to visit the Wildlife Learning Center’s web page to see the amazing work that they do with animals

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