{"id":292100,"date":"2025-11-14T23:51:15","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T23:51:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/292100\/"},"modified":"2025-11-14T23:51:15","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T23:51:15","slug":"rescuers-trap-soaking-wet-owl-then-realize-he-has-something-around-his-neck","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/292100\/","title":{"rendered":"Rescuers Trap Soaking Wet Owl \u2014 Then Realize He Has Something Around His Neck"},"content":{"rendered":"

Last September, the folks at Raven Ridge Wildlife Center (RRW)<\/a> received a call for help that felt all too familiar. A local homeowner reported finding a great horned owl tangled in his son\u2019s soccer netting, and he was too entwined to get out on his own.<\/p>\n

While the RRW staff is used to getting calls about wildlife trapped in sports netting, this case took an unexpected turn when the homeowner reported that they\u2019d untangled the owl themselves. The owl was free, but his behavior after being released concerned them.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey contacted us right away because they didn\u2019t feel comfortable approaching the owl and were also concerned that [he] wasn\u2019t flying away,\u201d RRW wrote on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Facebook\/Raven Ridge Wildlife Center<\/p>\n

An experienced RRW volunteer soon arrived at the caller\u2019s house, where he found the owl confined to a gated area, dripping with water.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe owl was trapped in a gated yard that contained an in-ground pool, and it appeared to have fallen into the pool while trying to find a hiding spot,\u201d RRW wrote.<\/p>\n

Facebook\/Raven Ridge Wildlife Center<\/p>\n

The poor owl was wide-eyed and sopping wet when the volunteer approached him. Thankfully, the rescuer managed to capture the owl quickly and rushed him to RRW\u2019s headquarters. While he was technically free from the net, the staff at RRW had a hunch that the little owl wasn\u2019t entirely out of the woods health-wise.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are often more hidden injuries when dealing with these animals, which is why it\u2019s always best to bring them in for a detailed examination,\u201d RRW wrote.<\/p>\n

Facebook\/Raven Ridge Wildlife Center<\/p>\n

While performing a routine examination on the owl, the RRW staff discovered something life-threatening that had gone unnoticed before.<\/p>\n

\u201cUpon assessment, we discovered that the owl had a few abrasions and swelling, but one of the most concerning issues was that netting was still tightly wrapped around its neck,\u201d RRW wrote.<\/p>\n

Facebook\/Raven Ridge Wildlife Center<\/p>\n

As soon as they discovered the netting, the veterinary team quickly and carefully snipped it off. They treated the owl\u2019s neck and the rest of his wounds to avoid infection, then let him settle into his new habitat for some rest. As tired as the little guy was, the team remained hopeful that he would soon make a full recovery.<\/p>\n

Facebook\/Raven Ridge Wildlife Center<\/p>\n

Weeks later, the owl graduated from his recovery habitat to a flight cage, where he could practice flying again and regain his strength. It wasn\u2019t long before the resilient owl was flying around his cage as if nothing had happened, and his caregivers decided he was officially strong enough to return home.<\/p>\n

The team then set a release date. And when the day came to release the owl back into his natural habitat, they were overjoyed by his reaction.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe owl immediately recognized his surroundings and flew off so quickly that he disappeared into the dense trees, blending in so well that we were unable to spot him,\u201d RRW wrote on Facebook<\/a>.<\/p>\n

You can see more photos of the owl being released here:<\/p>\n

The owl was thrilled to return home, and his dedicated rescuers couldn\u2019t have been happier about the outcome.<\/p>\n

While they wish the owl had never been trapped in the first place, which could\u2019ve been avoided had the unused sports netting been stored properly, they\u2019re honored to have been a part of his recovery.<\/p>\n

And seeing him soar into his natural habitat again made it all worthwhile.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a wonderful feeling to see that they know they are home,\u201d RRW wrote.<\/p>\n

To help wild animals like this owl get the care they need, you can donate to Raven Ridge Wildlife Center\u00a0here<\/a>.\"Heartbroken<\/a>Heartbroken Dog Refuses To Leave Street Corner Where His Family Left Him\u201cFor two long months, this little soul waited \u2026\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Last September, the folks at Raven Ridge Wildlife Center (RRW) received a call for help that felt all…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":292101,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[51],"tags":[3192,3754,616,79,615,613,201,620],"class_list":{"0":"post-292100","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-animal-encounters","9":"tag-ashley-ortiz","10":"tag-daily-dodo","11":"tag-science","12":"tag-standard","13":"tag-the-dodo","14":"tag-wildlife","15":"tag-wildlife-rescue"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292100","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=292100"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/292100\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/292101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=292100"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=292100"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=292100"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}