A supposed stubbornness is not a bad thing in and of itself.
However, it can become a problem if, for example, it leads to people not wanting to move away from a dangerous situation.
This is what happened in the coastal town of Branford/Connecticut, where an owl simply remained sitting bluntly in the middle of the road.
Normally, the birds of prey, which are not uncommon here, are admired from a distance.
But not when they sit in the middle of a busy road and are narrowly missed by passing cars.
Owl with suicidal intentions?
Probably not – but with a well-developed sense of self-confidence, or so it seemed. Because as soon as cars or worried passers-by approached, the owl spread its wings. As if it were defending its personal space.
But there was no sign of it flying away. At first, her rescuer Laura Burban suspected that the owl had spotted something to eat on the street. On closer inspection, however, it was immediately clear that the barn owl needed help!
The bird had injured its wing and could no longer fly. Instead, the owl threw itself onto its back with its claws stretched upwards. As if to say: „Don’t touch me!“
The rescue with obstacles begins
The actual rescue of the owl did not initially pose a challenge for Burban. After all, the bird was not large or heavy.
It was more problematic, however, not to stress the injured animal even more – because it was necessary to throw a cloth over it for the rescue.
„I tried to get the owl to look at my colleague. She really tried everything she could to get the owl’s attention. But that didn’t work. Because it was completely focused on me and knew that I would save it,“
explains Burban.
She soon managed to place the scarf over the owl – immediately reducing the bird’s stress level. As soon as the cloth was in place, the owl was almost deeply relaxed again.
Off to recovery
The owl was taken into the Burban van and driven to a wildlife sanctuary, A Place Called Hope. Here, some examinations of the wing were carried out to find out what had happened to it.
Sure enough, the owl had suffered a bad break just above the joint. As no operation could help, the injured wing was bandaged. And then it was a case of wait and see (and drink tea).
A few weeks later..
A few weeks after her involuntary adventure, the owl is doing much better. The fracture is almost completely healed. And after physiotherapy, the carers are certain that she can soon be released back into the wild.
The residents of Branford are already thrilled to see their feathered fellow citizen flying around the neighborhood again. Burban even received a call from James Cosgrove, the chief councillor.
He is also the grandson of the man after whom the sanctuary was named. „I’m calling about my owl! My whole neighborhood keeps asking me about her and wants to know if she’s okay!“ he is reported to have said.
Cosgrove explains that the owl has always been part of the neighborhood and actually grew up here. Everyone here knows the little adventurer, he’s something of a local celebrity, almost a mayor.
Cosgrove is relieved when he hears that the owl is almost well again and will soon be able to return to his neighborhood.
He certainly shares this relief with his neighbors, who are eagerly awaiting the return of their flying „mayor“.
Bitte unterstütze unsere Arbeit und klick auf das Herz! ❤️
