Off The Record

Owl Rescued From Pit Had A Complete Transformation – Better Sit Tight Before Seeing Him

Published on March 1, 2024

A wildlife facility assisted a poor owl who was discovered in appalling condition in his amazing recovery.

Last month, the Pennsylvania-based Raven Ridge Animal Center declared that it had adopted a Great Horned Owl that had been saved from a manure hole.

The owl was in poor condition and had been stuck in the pit for at least two days, according to a Facebook post. It took multiple baths to remove the layers of caked-on manure that covered him, and he was weak and dehydrated.

Wildlife rehabilitator Tracie Young told The Dodo, “I knew it was gonna be a long night,” noting that the owl was “subdued” in spite of the trauma: “He was tired from struggling.”

The owl’s right eye was blood-filled and deeply red, indicating that it had also had severe eye injuries. The bird had been unlawfully shot with a BB gun, as the rescuers discovered when they discovered a steel BB in his eye.

“We had to wait for the blood in the eye to be absorbed by the body, so that we could see if there was any permanent damage,” Young said in a statement to People. “Over the next few days, the body started absorbing the blood in the eye. We administered fluids, the owl had to be tube-fed and given several baths.”

The bird was affectionately dubbed “Stinky” by the rescuers since he had been discovered in a manure pit. The owl persevered despite knowing that healing would take a considerable amount of time.

As the rescuers assessed the degree of the eye injury over time, they found a miracle: the owl survived the shock without suffering any irreversible damage to its eyes or loss of eyesight.

“I did not think that it was going to make it,” Young said, adding to The Dodo that she was “flabbergasted.” Because of that unlikely recovery, rescuers stopped calling him “Stinky” and started calling him “Lucky.”

In a matter of weeks, Lucky’s eye returns to normal and he appears like a completely different owl. According to the wildlife center, they hope to return him to the wild in the fall.

We are overjoyed to learn that this stunning bird is improving and making a full recovery! Many thanks to everybody who helped save his life!