A Great Horned Owl is recuperating at a Pennsylvania wildlife center after being shot in the eye with a BB gun.
Raven Ridge Wildlife Center first posted to Facebook about the owl last month. A State Game Warden had discovered the pathetic-looking bird “stuck in a manure pit.” They estimated the bird had been stuck for a few days and was “severely dehydrated” and “weak.”
Pictures included in the post, show the bird with obvious eye trauma, one entire red. Tricia A. Young, a Wildlife Rehabilitator at the center, told People the eye was filled with blood. Once absorbed by the bird’s body, they discovered the owl had been shot.
“I noticed thick pus forming, and I carefully removed it with tweezers so that I could examine what the mass was,” she said. “Amazingly, the owl’s body encased a steel BB.”
The bullet was removed from the bird’s eye, and it received fluids and antibiotics. The owl started on a “healthy diet” and began to eat independently.
Amazingly, the bird did not suffer any permanent damage to the eye. Since the bird is on the mend, it has been moved to an outdoor flight mew so the center’s team can monitor its flight, perching, grooming, and ability to catch prey. Young said they plan to release the owl by fall.
