Hoo hoo hoo: Owls make unusual backdrop at holiday photo session

Every holiday season, families and children line up to take photos with Santa.

But the Prairie Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre offereda different take on the tradition Saturday, allowing people to take photos with two of their owls.

Bijii, a white and brown barn owl, and Yahzi, a tiny saw-whet owl, sat patiently in front of a forest backdrop in the St. Mary's Nursery and Garden Centre.

They were joined by a slithery snake.

The owls are two of the centre's animal ambassadors, part of its education program that travels to schools, said Lisa Tretiak, president and co-founder of Prairie Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre.

"We do presentations on endangered species, how to protect your environmentand what human activities cause these animals to become injured," she said.

Neither is capable of surviving in the wild, she said.

"They actually like to fall asleep in some of these pictures," she said.

The picture day raised funds for the centre.