Great Horned Owls have a reputation for being tough. Unbelievably tough. I've heard of them smashing through the windshield of a semi driving down the interstate, getting hit by semis and being pulled out of their grills hundreds of miles down the road...still alive. The stories are incredible, but true.
Here is yet another story to prove just how tough these birds can be. This particular owl had been caught on a fishing hook in 2007 in Burnsville, MN, rehabilitated by The Raptor Center, then released. Now she wound up behind the grill of an SUV. Yes, stuck behind the grill after she was hit in the Twin Cities. The wheel panel had to be removed to get her out so she could go through a second stint with the fine folks at The Raptor Center.
KARE 11 News covered the story. You'll find the video on the right side of the screen.
Alice the Great Horned Owl is a permanently injured owl who works at the Houston Nature Center in Houston, MN and lives with her handler, Karla Bloem. Rusty and Iris are Great Horned Owls that are both blind in their right eyes and cannot live in the wild. Rusty and Iris are breeding in captivity as part of Karla's vocal study on Great Horned Owls. All together they have led to the creation of an International Owl Center in Houston, MN and an International Festival of Owls.
