Post-Rehab, Injured Snowy Owl Flies Into The Wild
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP/WCCO) — After weeks of rehab and exercise in Minnesota, a rare snowy owl that was apparently hit by a bus in the nation's capital has being released into the wild.
The Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota took in the owl because it has expertise in replacing damaged feathers. The injured owl was found in downtown Washington in late January and taken to the National Zoo before being transferred to a Washington, D.C., wildlife rehabilitation center.
The owl then came to Minnesota for rehab, where it completed about a three-week exercise program and regained its physical fitness.
Julia Ponder, executive director of The Raptor Center, said the owl was released Saturday at noon along the northern Minnesota and Wisconsin border near Superior, Wis.
"He is in great condition and will hopefully head back north in the coming days," Ponder said.
A biologist chose the location due to the large amount of snowy owls that have been seen there in previous summers.
Another snowy owl patient from Superior, Wis., was released as well.
Snowy owls are native to the Arctic.
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