Two Owls, One Day: A Minnesota Woman’s Incredible Rescue

HAS THIS EVER HAPPENED TO YOU?

This sounds like a once-in-a-lifetime story, and maybe it is. I've had the opportunity to be driving and see a Snow Owl fly by. I've also had a small owl coming crashing into my living room window when I lived in Kentucky. It was a small owl, and I was able to wrap it in a blanket and place it in a tree, which I believe once it figured out where it was, was able to fly away. But this is something I've never experienced.

TWO RESCUES IN ONE DAY

According to the article, a woman named Annabell Whelan, who is a Lake Superior Zoo Guest Experience Manager, found an injured Great Gray Owl north of Two Harbors, Minnesota. She found the owl on the ground and contacted wildlife experts at Wildwoods, which is a wildlife rehabilitation center located in Duluth. The experts told her how to capture the owl safely. She brought the owl to Wildwoods who then transported the bird to the University of Minnesota, where they have a Raptor Center in St. Paul.

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AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT...

As luck would have, or NOT have, she ran across another injured bird. An individual driving had a collision with a Snowy Owl. Annabell says the Snowy Owl was hanging out of the front of the vehicle and seemed to be in a much worse state than the other owl she helped rescue that day.

RESCUE

“It was a lot more trauma,” said Whelan. By this time, Wildwoods had closed, so she wrapped up the Snowy Owl in a blanket and put the owl in a crate. She put the crate in a quiet room in her home, so as not to further frighten the owl. She lovingly called the owl NOWL, a play on NOEL, hoping that the owl would be in better shape by morning.

NOWL NOEL

When she awoke, she was happy to see that NOWL was moving and awake! Annabell then took NOWL to Wildwoods, who posted on their FB page that they had applied a wing wrap, gave the owl some medicine, and coordinated with The Raptor Center to make sure she was transferred there as well.

EXPERT ADVICE

If this or something similar should happen to you, it is recommended that you call for help when you see an injured animal, and if possible, transfer the injured to a safe space where they can be left alone until professionals can take over. The article says that animals in the wild are terrified of humans, so it's best to let professionals take over once you've called for help, and made sure the animal is in a safe place against predators and away from people.