ST. PAUL, Minn. — One of the two owls rescued by a Minnesota woman in a story that went viral this week, has died, but the other is still receiving medical care.
Wildwoods Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Duluth said in a Facebook post Thursday that the snowy owl rescued by Annabell Whelan had internal injuries, a broken wing and a broken leg.
“Because the injuries could not be repaired and the bird would no longer be able to fly, the kindest option available for this majestic wild bird was a peaceful transition via euthanasia,” the post said.
The great gray owl also rescued by Whelan on Monday suffered broken bones and major soft tissue injuries to a wing, Wildwoods said in the post. The injuries are serious, but veterinarians at the Raptor Center in St. Paul “are doing everything they can to give this bird a chance at recovery,” the post said.
Whelan, a 22-year-old Lake Superior Zoo guest experience manager, found the injured great gray owl on the ground in Two Harbors, Minnesota. She scooped the owl up in a blanket, put him in a dog crate in the car and took him to Wildwoods.
Amazingly, later Monday, Whelan was out with her boyfriend’s family in Duluth when she saw another injured owl — this one was the snowy owl that had crashed into a car and was stuck in the grille. Since Wildwoods was already closed, Whelan took the snowy owl home for the night.
Both owls were eventually sent to the University of Minnesota Raptor Center.