Audubon Aquarium Mourns Loss of Popular Owl

Audubon Aquarium said farewell to a popular and long-term resident this week. Frosty the Barred Owl was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year. After monitoring her health, her care team determined that her condition had declined  significantly and the decision was made to humanely euthanize her.  She was estimated to be 28 years old.

Frosty came to the Aquarium in 1997 after suffering an injury caused when she was hit by a car. After treatment at LSU Veterinary School, she was deemed non-releasable and moved to the Aquarium to serve as a representative of her species.

Visitors to Audubon Aquarium will remember Frosty in a lofty perch in the former Mississippi River Gallery, often surprising guests as she peered at them from on high.  During last year’s major renovation at the Aquarium, a spacious new home was created for Frosty, providing a much easier way for guests to see and hear her. At eye level with guests, Frosty was quite popular. Her large owl eyes watched everything happening in the Down the Bayou exhibit and she occasionally delighted guests with her subtle and beautiful calls.

Barred Owls like Frosty are the most common owls found in Louisiana. They live in marsh areas and forests, and often hunt at dawn and dusk.

Frosty the Barred Owl will be missed by guests and by the care team that worked with her at Audubon Aquarium since she first arrived nearly three decades ago.