by Kyle Owens
I
often joke that I’m a “Turder by trade” if someone asks what I do for work. Responding to their puzzled expression, I explain that I collect barn owl pellets for schools so students learning anatomy in biology class are able to dissect owl vomit and put together skeletons of mice, rats, bats, voles, birds, etc. A sigh of relief and a laugh typically follows. Pelleting (or turding) is by no means glamorous work, but I would be lying if I told you I did not enjoy talking to people, climbing around the inside of old barns, petting farm animals, exploring the back roads of the Pacific Northwest, or meeting free-ranging dogs of all shapes and sizes. Communication skills are very important in my line of work; people need to trust that you will not steal their belongings and I have found that trust is found and granted through conversation. If you can read
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SL - SPRING/SUMMER 2016
A regurgitated barn owl pellet is often confused with excrement.