A barred owl is recovering after being hit by a bus near the campus of The Evergreen State College.
The barred owl flew into the path of an InterCity bus late Sunday night. A volunteer wildlife center is now nursing the owl back to health. "He's just kind of laying here," said Claudia Supensky of For Heaven's Sake Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation in Rochester. "Because he's sore on the right side of his body."
A spokesperson for the transit company said the driver knew he hit something but didn't realize it was an owl. A supervisor was called out to the scene and found the owl by the side of the road. He thought the owl was dead, but then it flew up into the trees. Thurston County sheriff's deputies arrived and called employees with For Heaven's Sake Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation come get him.
"So, we're hopeful nothing is broken. I think he's just bruised and swollen and sore," said Supensky. Supensky said the owl's left eye was in need of attention. "The eye actually takes up about 70% of their skull," said Supensky. A few eye drops were added to ease the owl's discomfort, she said.
The wildlife rescuers said they are grateful transit employees came out and found him, otherwise the prognosis would not have been good. "Grave," said volunteer Shelley Brown, who volunteers at the center. "Probably unlikely chance he would make it in the wild." But the owl's outlook now looks good after some fluids and drugs to ease the pain."Dogs and cats are great," said Brown. "But this is amazing."
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The barred owl flew into the path of an InterCity bus late Sunday night. A volunteer wildlife center is now nursing the owl back to health. "He's just kind of laying here," said Claudia Supensky of For Heaven's Sake Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation in Rochester. "Because he's sore on the right side of his body."
A spokesperson for the transit company said the driver knew he hit something but didn't realize it was an owl. A supervisor was called out to the scene and found the owl by the side of the road. He thought the owl was dead, but then it flew up into the trees. Thurston County sheriff's deputies arrived and called employees with For Heaven's Sake Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation come get him.
"So, we're hopeful nothing is broken. I think he's just bruised and swollen and sore," said Supensky. Supensky said the owl's left eye was in need of attention. "The eye actually takes up about 70% of their skull," said Supensky. A few eye drops were added to ease the owl's discomfort, she said.
The wildlife rescuers said they are grateful transit employees came out and found him, otherwise the prognosis would not have been good. "Grave," said volunteer Shelley Brown, who volunteers at the center. "Probably unlikely chance he would make it in the wild." But the owl's outlook now looks good after some fluids and drugs to ease the pain."Dogs and cats are great," said Brown. "But this is amazing."
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For Heaven's Sake Animal Rescue and Rehabilitation took in 1,350 wildlife animals last year.
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