Injured bird set free after six weeks of rehabilitation

One lucky barred owl got a second lease of life Dec. 31 after recovering from serious injuries. Back on November 20, 2010, the young adult owl was struck by a truck and lodged in the grill. With a broken leg, wing and cracked beak, the owl was transported to the emergency animal clinic.

Lisa Miller of Wildlife Rehabilitators Partnership of Northwest Florida was contacted to care for the bird. After generously donated services from Parkway Veterinary Clinic, the owl spent six weeks of recovery time with Wildlife Rehabilitators. On December 31, the owl was ready to go and turned over to Joe Wyatt, naturalist at Hammock Bay for release.

Joe released the bird just before dusk in a natural habitat area at Hammock Bay. The owl took a few minutes to get his bearings and flew off into the woods to start a new life.

To learn more about Wildlife Rehabilitators and their efforts, go to: http://wildliferehabilitatorspartnership.com/