Woman rescues snowy owl, great gray owl on same day
By John Lauritsen
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DULUTH, Minnesota (WCCO) — A northern Minnesota woman is being praised for rescuing not one, but two owls on the same day and in two different locations.
“I’ve gotten ‘owl girl,’ I’ve gotten ‘owl whisperer,’ I’ve gotten local celebrity,” Annabell Whelan said.
Whelan knows it’s unusual enough to see an owl during the day, let alone rescue one. So, what happened on Monday could be called a Christmas miracle involving owls.
“I saw it on the side of the road there in someone’s driveway so I stopped, pulled over and turned around,” she said.
That was her first rescue. It happened around 11 a.m. when she spotted an injured great gray owl on the side of Highway 61, near Two Harbors. She called Wildwoods Rehabilitation Center who told her if she could safely avoid the talons, she should try and help.
“I finally snuck up next to him and gently dropped the blanket on him,” she said.
It was a successful save. But her day wasn’t done. Six hours later she went to Bentleyville, about the last place you’d expect to find an owl.
While leaving the festivities she spotted a snowy owl stuck in someone’s grille.
The driver didn’t know what to do so Whelan borrowed a pair of gloves and saved her second raptor of the day. She took the snowy home and kept it in a dog kennel with plenty of blankets. The next morning, she made her second trip to Wildwoods.
“Luckily I woke up and she was awake and it was like opening a present in the morning to see her turn slowly and look at me,” she said.
Sadly, Wildwoods announced on Facebook Thursday the snowy owl had to be euthanized due to the extent of its injuries.
“Because the injuries could not be fixed and the bird would be unable to fly again, the kindest option available for this majestic wild bird was a peaceful passing via euthanasia,” said Wildwoods officials.
The great gray owl was transported to the Raptor Center in St. Paul, where staff determined it had a broken ulna, a broken wing bone and large soft tissue wounds.
“These injuries are severe, and the veterinarians at TRC are doing everything they can to give this bird a chance at recovery,” said Wildwoods officials.
For her day job at the Lake Superior Zoo, Whelan is surrounded by owls, but she’s never been as close to them as she was on Monday.
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