Joe Kahlo
A great horned owl who was found on a highway while stuck in a plastic bag was finally set free
Thanks to the help of the police and local wildlife rehabilitators, the owl lived to fly another day.
Idaho State Police were contacted by multiple commuters stating that they had spotted a distressed owl on the median.
Although great horned owls are a common sight in the state of Idaho, it is rare to see the nocturnal bird in the daytime, let alone by the rush hour traffic.
Sgt. Brandalyn Crapo was the officer to respond to the call, she had found the owl with its talons (claws) trapped in the plastic bag.
Crapo had parked her patrol car between the owl and the oncoming traffic to protect it while she wanted for a volunteer from the Animals in Distress Association to arrive.
James McKinley, a wildlife rehabilitation from the nonprofit arrived within minutes to save the trapped bird.
He told the newspapers that nocturnal raptors like this one often hunt the empty roads at night, and it’s likely it thought the plastic bag was prey.
“The animal used its foot and clenched it, and that’s how it got hung up,” said McKinley. “I’m speculating he thought the movement of the bag was a prey at night.”
He quickly freed the owl who didn’t appear to be injured and set it free, but not before posing with Crapo for a photo!
