Houston Humane Society Mourns Beloved Owl Iris

Iris was a very special animal who lived her whole life dedicated to the mission carried out first by TWRC, then the Houston Humane Society. She spent her peaceful retirement as an Ambassador with occasional on-site appearances at camps and events, and otherwise enjoyed her life with her keeper, Sierra Merritt, and the rest of the Wildlife & Exotics team.

 

Iris arrived as an orphaned owlet in 2009. Born with one eye, Iris was deemed unreleasable and has been an Ambassador Animal ever since. Over the intervening years, Iris educated more people through her gentle presence than many professional educators ever could.

 

She cannot be replaced, and no one would ever consider anyone or anything a replacement for our beloved Iris. She loved music, particularly Elton John. Iris also enjoyed interacting with humans, talking in her own soft voice in a language a few of us shared with her. We are going to miss her soft vocalizations. Mornings will be very different without her there to greet us first thing, and our afternoons will be different without saying goodbye to her on our way out for the day.

 

We all said goodbye to Iris today for the final time, and stayed with her as she passed away peacefully. We hope that she has a chance now to fly high and see the world through new eyes, and to finally have the chance she never had before, to live a life free and wild, as hers should have been if not for chance and fate bringing her to us to serve the mission we still fight for.

 

Over her long years, Iris touched many lives. Nothing can change that, not even her passing from this world. She was an icon who had no idea that her own presence held the power it did, and she was a giant even at 120 grams. She was, as we all are, part of something larger than ourselves. Her memory lives on as part of that greater purpose. We love you, Iris. We are so grateful to have known you, lived alongside you, and been with you in the final moments.

 

Rest Peacefully, Iris: 
Spring 2009 - May 5, 2026

 

Perhaps no word can capture more how we feel than the immortal words of Professor Severus Snape:
“Always”