New York: Ogden officer rescues owl hanging upside down, tangled in fishing line

NEW YORK -- Ogden police Officer Travis Gray this week added “owl” to the list of animals he has rescued under bizarre circumstances.

Representatives at Homesteads for Hope, a nonprofit working with those with intellectual disabilities, called the state Department of Environmental Conservation from the organization's Ogden location Tuesday about an owl hanging from a tree by its wing near the Erie Canal.

 

Gray went to check it out, and found a great horned owl caught in fishing line dangling over the water.

“It looks like someone cast a line, it caught in a tree, and the owl clotheslined it with its wings,” said Gray. Those at Homesteads estimated that the bird had been there overnight, he said. The owl has lived near the property for years, but was hardly ever seen, said Homesteads founder Jennyrae Brongo.

The Homesteads location's original owner held the bird in a net while Gray cut the line from its wing — Gray's body camera caught the whole thing on video.

The oddity of the situation hit Gray mid-task — “You never even see owls … and I’m there touching an owl,” he said.

 

The bird was clearly scared and angry, and Gray had his baton out in case the owl went berserk after being cut free.

What was he going to do? Beat it to death? Seriously. It would've flapped away and probably landed in the water if it couldn't fly.

As soon as the line came loose, the owl relaxed, but it didn’t fly away. Gray realized it looked hurt, and called Black Creek Wildlife Station to assist the bird.

Soon wildlife staff picked up the owl to be rehabilitated, and they are hopeful the bird can be released back into the wild in a few weeks, said Jennyrae Brongo.

Gray rescued a turtle and a pigeon from deadly traffic in the past, plus handling routine dog, cat and deer calls, he said — there’s a running joke among other department personnel about his apparent affinity for animal emergencies.

“These are just normal things that any decent person would do,” he said.

Update on the Owl!
It is at Churchville Veterinary Hospital, P.C. - Under the care of Gary Zimmerman with his team at Black Creek Wildlife Station - We are hoping for a quick recovery so he can be released into his natural habitat! Thank you Again to Officer Grey with the Town of Ogden Police Department for responding to this call! #H4HCommunityFarm

(Rochester Democrat and Chronicle - Sept 14, 2016)