Sunday we got a call from Good Samaritans, Leigh & John, about a Great Horned Owl ensnared in a barbed wire fence on their property. Our Badger Run volunteers headed out with wire cutters to offer assistance. The poor owl was very, very lucky in this encounter. The wound left after freeing her from the fence was very superficial. The picture looks far worse than it was. We were able to add a couple of resorbable sutures where needed & apply resorbable bandage material to cover the wound while it heals. We decided her best option was to return her to her mate & let her heal in the wild. Our volunteer put her right back in home territory on a wooden fence where she sat for a minute getting her bearings. After that she flew off like a champ across a field into a tall tree. Her mate had been circling the area looking for her while she was being treated at Badger Run. Leigh & John were surveying the barbed wire fence in preparation for removing it when we got back out there to release her. One of the feistiest Great Horned Owls we’ve ever handled. The cat muzzle she is sporting helped calm her & also saved us from a nasty bite. Her mood was likely due to being a mature female during mating season.
