A Minnesota woman, Annabell Whelan, found herself twice in the right place at the right time for some wildlife in distress. While out in Duluth, Minnesota, Whelan came across a snowy owl, unmistakably injured, stuck in the grille of a car after a harsh collision, as per CBS News Minnesota. In a separate incident earlier that same day, she discovered a great gray owl in Two Harbors, showing signs of injury and distress.
Whelan, an experienced hand as a Lake Superior Zoo guest experience manager and holding a degree in biology and environmental science, followed instructions from Wildwoods, a local wildlife rehabilitation center, to safely rescue the first avian casualty. "I definitely thought that I had had my fix of owls with the first one," Whelan recounted in an interview obtained by The Associated Press.
This tender interlude of trust between human and bird was a mere prologue to another rescue the universe seemed to have penned for Whelan. Encountering the second owl, she sprung into action once more, wrapping the bird, later named Nowl as a nod to the Christmas season, in a blanket and providing it a haven in her home for the night.
"It was obviously a lot more trauma," said Whelan, about the snowy owl's predicament. As reported by CBS News Minnesota, Wildwoods was closed by the time of the latter rescue, prompting her to make-shift quarters for Nowl, safeguarded from the inquisitive presence of pets. "I tried to prepare myself in case I woke up in the morning and she didn’t make it through the night," she shared.
Nowl survived the night and was later taken to Wildwoods. The wildlife center took this opportunity to remind the public about the importance of being vigilant and considerate on the roads, particularly with wildlife that are often terrified and harmed when in close quarters with humans and their vehicles.
