From Blackland Prairie Raptor Center
It's not always obvious why a bird isn't feeling well, so we run blood work on the majority of birds that come in, to help us figure out what's wrong. This barred owl was lethargic with no obvious reason why but it had a surprise in its blood. It had parasites in its red blood cells. The pointer in the picture below is pointing to a red blood cell filled with a parasite. With supportive care this barred owl is clearing the parasites from its blood and is active again!
It is! I wouldn't like the idea of those things creeping around my cytoplasm...
It's nice to see they do everything they can and investigate everything to make sure the animals are cared for. It always surprises me just how many services these places actually provide, and that they have to find all the funding themselves in between taking care of the animals.