Barn Owl rescue!

Barn Owl Tangled Barbed Wire

Young Barn Owl rescued with help and advice from the Barn Owl Trust

This young Barn Owl was rescued after a phone call to our Live Owl Emergency Advice line.

She had only just learned to fly and she’d managed to get her legs tangled in baler twine and then get hooked onto barbed wire. She was trapped high up on an electricity pole, only a short distance from her nest.

Luckily she was seen by a kind lady who lives on the farm nearby, in North Yorkshire. Glenda rang the Trust to ask for advice and then, despite her fear of heights, she decided to climb up a ladder to cut the string and release the owl.

Fortunately the barbed wire was much lower than the live wires!

“The owl was quite calm and I was able to gently snip away at the string” said Glenda.

Having started to check the owl over; following the instructions on our website, she  decided to take it to her local vet where the owl was fed and kept an eye on, overnight.

The following morning the vet phoned to say that the owl had survived the night and was more lively; her talons were obviously working properly as she’d been trying to grab the vet (a good sign!).

“Today I put her back in the barn where she was raised. Imagine my delight when I discovered another young owl in there too!”
So from a brood of 3 or maybe 4, at least 2 owlets have made it.

“A big thank you to David, Senior Conservation Officer at the Barn Owl Trust”, said Glenda, “his advice and guidance was invaluable.”