Published on Nov 19, 2013 by Karla Bloem Rusty and Iris the Great Horned Owl are both blind in their right eyes and are unable to live in the wild. They breed in captivity together as part of a vocal study on their species being conducted by the International Owl Center, www.InternationalOwlCenter.org. Rusty's bad eye had to be removed so he and Iris were separated for nearly seven days while Rusty healed and took his medications. This is their happy reunion. The hooting lasted for hours.