Volunteers help rescue great horned owl

WILLMAR - People banded together Tuesday to rescue an injured owl and get it transported to the Raptor Center at the University of Minnesota for further care.
The bird, a great horned owl, was found by a member of the public who brought it to the South 71 Veterinary Clinic in Willmar.
Hawk Creek Animal Shelter was enlisted to help find a volunteer willing to brave icy, snowy roads to transport the owl as far as Cokato, where it would be met by a volunteer from the Raptor Center to bring it the rest of the way to St. Paul.
Thanks to the power of the social media, a plea issued Tuesday afternoon by email and on Facebook quickly produced a volunteer driver, said Bobbie Bauman, director of operators at the Hawk Creek Animal Shelter.
“It’s nice people are willing to help out,” she said.
The shelter has helped several times in the past with arranging transportation so that injured wild birds can be taken to the Raptor Center for specialized care, she said.
The great horned owl, named for the two feathered tufts on the head, is one of the most common owls in North America. It hunts a variety of prey, from rabbits and hawks to frogs, mice and insects.