A snowy owl that became lodged inside the grille of a truck after colliding with the vehicle on a Saskatchewan highway is showing signs of recovery.
The white raptor suffered several injuries, including a concussion and a fractured left wing, after striking a woman’s SUV last week. Now, staff at a local animal rehabilitation centre are optimistic about “Tahoe” taking flight again.
“He will be in (our) care probably for a minimum of six weeks,” Megan Lawrence with Salthaven West told CTV Regina on Wednesday. “Before he is cleared for release, we will do some flight training to make sure he is strong enough to go.”
Staff named the bird “Tahoe” after the model of Chevrolet truck it became trapped inside. Lawrence said the driver was shocked to find the bird alive when she pulled over and called Saskatchewan’s environment ministry for assistance.
“The woman that had hit him noticed he was still alive in the grille, and knew he needed help right away,” she said.
Tahoe is not yet willing to eat on his own, but he is accepting food when it is hand-fed by staff. He is also said to be showing increasing alertness while his wing heals.
“We’ll have the bandage on for about 10 days to two weeks, changing it about every three to five days. Once the fracture is stable we will continue medicating him for a short period of time,” Lawrence said.
Experts say owls often cross paths with vehicles when they swoop down in pursuit of prey near roads.
“They don’t know to look both ways when they cross the road, so they end up in front of vehicles a lot,” Lawrence said. “Sometimes there is nothing the driver can do to avoid the collision.”
With a report from CTV Regina’s Gina Martin
