Owl's Concrete Ordeal in Utah Desert
A young great horned owl is on a remarkable journey to recovery after being discovered partially encased in concrete at the Black Desert Resort in southwestern Utah. The bird had somehow found its way into a cement mixer, resulting in its face, chest, and right wing being covered in the hardened material.
Painstaking Rescue and Clean-Up Operation
The owl was transported to the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, earlier this month. Sanctuary workers, after first ensuring the bird could breathe, embarked on a days-long mission to free it. They carefully cracked apart the concrete using forceps and then meticulously cleaned its feathers with toothbrushes, dish soap, and their own fingers.
Bart Richwalski from the sanctuary described the bird as a "fighter" and noted that its small size suggests it is both a male and a youngster, which may explain how it ended up in such a precarious situation.
Road to Recovery and Silent Flight
Just two weeks after the intensive clean-up, the owl has proven its resilience by being able to fly again. It is now continuing its rehabilitation in an aviary. However, its release is not yet imminent.
Judah Battista, Chief Sanctuary Officer at Best Friends, explained a critical hurdle. Great horned owls rely on a special downy coating on their feathers for silent flight, which is essential for hunting. The concrete has frayed these feathers, causing the bird to make a "whooshing" sound when it flies.
The sanctuary will not release the owl until it moults these damaged feathers and can fly silently again, a process expected to be complete by next spring or summer.
Once fully recovered, the plan is to return the owl to a natural habitat near where it was found, giving this remarkable survivor a second chance at life in the wild.
