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A great horned owl was beaten with a baseball bat by teenagers in April
A Good Samaritan brought the bird to the Ojai Raptor Center, where it was discovered that the young owlet suffered internal trauma and a fractured foot
The bird remained at the center until late September, when staff released it into the wild in Lancaster, Calif.
A great horned owl has survived a near-fatal attack.
The owl, identified as Patient 26-224 by the Ojai Raptor Center, was attacked with a baseball bat by a group of teenagers in April. A Good Samaritan intervened and rescued the animal, the center announced on Tuesday, Oct. 20.
The bystander took the bird to the center, where staff discovered that the owl had suffered internal trauma and a fractured foot bone, the metatarsus.
Great horned owl at the Ojai Raptor Center
Credit: The Ojai Raptor Center/Facebook
In July, the center shared an image of the struggling bird via Instagram and wrote, “Those cases are always difficult. But when an animal has been intentionally harmed, it is especially hard to understand.”
The post emphasized the importance of teaching children to “respect and care for wildlife.”
X-ray of the injured great horned owl at the Ojai Raptor Center
Credit: The Ojai Raptor Center/Facebook
The owl remained at the Ojai Raptor Center until the end of September, the center said in its update on Tuesday. He was released into the wild in Lancaster, Calif.
“We are incredibly grateful to the Good Samaritan who stepped in and took action that day, and to our dedicated team who cared for this owl throughout his long road to recovery,” the Ojai Raptor Center’s announcement read.
“From a very difficult beginning to flying free again, this is exactly what wildlife rehabilitation is all about. 🦉.”
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Ojai Raptor Center is a nonprofit organization that specializes in rehabilitating birds of prey, typically assisting 1,000-1,500 birds each year, per its website.
The center said in its July update that most of the animals it treats have been “affected by human activity” — including vehicle collisions, window strikes, rodenticides or habitat loss.
PEOPLE reached out to the Ojai Raptor Center for comment on Thursday, Oct. 22.
Read the original article on People