When a woman named Jody goes for a walk with her dog in a wooded area in Pennsylvania, USA, the four-legged friend suddenly starts behaving very strangely.
At first, the woman thinks nothing of it when her dog stops sniffing in front of a pile of leaves, but she soon realises that it is more than ordinary interest.
The fact that she then takes a very close look is the greatest stroke of luck for a helpless creature.
(Too) well camouflaged
The dog stands rooted to the spot and only has eyes for the pile of leaves. As he sniffs, he becomes increasingly nervous.
Jody is sure it can only mean that an animal is hiding in the leaves. She looks intently at the pile of leaves, but can’t recognise any animal.
However, she notices that the leaves are rustling and moving. The creature in the pile seems too big for a hedgehog.
Following the movements, Jody gradually recognises brown plumage that blends perfectly with the equally brown autumn leaves.
Now the outline of the moving figure forms a picture: It’s a great horned owl, a Virginia eagle owl to be exact.
It looks like the eagle owl is not doing well at all. It looks dazed, swaying and making awkward movements with its wings.
Jody realises that help must come quickly. If her dog hadn’t spotted the bird in its amazingly good camouflage, it would have been lost.
She immediately sends some photos of the animal to the Raven Ridge Wildlife Centre, a wildlife rescue centre.
Victim of a skunk attack
Volunteers from the organisation arrive at the owl a short time later and are shocked by its dire condition.
„The owl could not stand, was shaking, could not open one eye, fell over, was cold, dehydrated and dazed,“
reports the centre.
They have hardly ever seen an owl in such a state, but suspect that a skunk sprayed its secretions in its face.
At the rescue centre, the eagle owl is placed in an incubator and given fluids and medication. Every 30 minutes, someone checks to see how he is doing.
The rescuers don’t have much hope, but they do their best to keep the animal alive and nurse it back to health.
A small miracle
To everyone’s surprise, the owl’s recovery is progressing well. It is getting stronger, can move normally again and is eating with a great appetite.
She will soon be healthy and fit enough to return to the wild.
The volunteers are overjoyed when they are able to release their patient into the wild. They take the eagle owl into the forest in a box, open the door and wait in anticipation.
„It was absolutely clear that she knew exactly where she was when we opened the door of the box. She wasted no time and flew straight into the tall trees,“
said the Raven Ridge Wildlife Centre on Facebook.
This happy outcome is a small miracle that was only possible because Jody and her dog found the owl and the animal rescuers took such touching care of her.
Source: The Dodo
