What started as a peaceful afternoon stroll through Creekside Park in North Carolina quickly turned into an unexpected rescue when a woman noticed what looked like a ball of feathers hanging strangely from a tree branch.
At first, she thought it was just a bird resting — but a closer look made her heart drop. A beautiful owl was dangling twenty feet above the ground, his wing ensnared in a piece of discarded fishing line.
Panicked but determined to help, the woman alerted park staff, who immediately rushed to the scene.
“This is not a common occurrence for our department,” said Andrew Kendall, assistant director of recreation and parks. “In six years, this is the first bird rescue I have seen.”
The owl was frightened and exhausted, but rescuers wasted no time. Working together, staff used a long branch to help the owl steady himself and take pressure off his injured wing.
Volunteers from the Outer Banks Wildlife Shelter soon arrived to assist, and with great care, they climbed a ladder and used a small saw to cut through the tangled line.
At last, the owl was free.
“Everyone was relieved to get the owl down,” Kendall said. “The owl was certainly tired.”
The team gently transported him to the wildlife shelter, where experts examined his injuries and began treatment. Thanks to the quick response of everyone involved, the owl is now recovering well — and will soon return to the same stretch of woods where his ordeal began.
“It sounds like the owl is doing well and will make a full recovery,” Kendall said. “They plan to release him back into the wild very soon.”
The rescue serves as a powerful reminder of how something as simple as discarded fishing line can endanger wildlife — and how a few compassionate people can make all the difference.
If you’d like to help animals like this brave owl, you can support the Outer Banks Wildlife Shelter through their donation page.
