Officers with the Pennsylvania Game Commission stay on standby for moments when a vulnerable animal is in trouble and needs help fast.
That dedication showed up again when Sergeant Ritter was sent out after a call came in about a small creature barely hanging on in Children’s Lake in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania. As soon as Ritter got there, he swept his eyes along the shoreline, searching until he finally spotted the struggling animal right near the water’s edge.
The bird’s wings were submerged, keeping her from pulling herself up and out. Ritter snapped a quick photo and sent it over to Raven Ridge Wildlife Center so they could identify what she was.
Swift Help And Intensive Treatment
After Ritter transported the animal to the center, staff confirmed she was a Great Horned Owl. Based on her injuries, they believed she had collided with a concrete wall while chasing prey at high speed, which likely caused her to fall into the lake.
When she was admitted, the owl was soaked, exhausted, and carried a strong odor. Both wings showed serious damage.
Summer heat and humidity had already attracted flies, and maggots had begun to form inside the wounds.
Even with her critical condition, the team moved quickly. They cleaned her wounds, provided fluids, and placed her in a calm space where she could rest.
Despite the care she received, the owl showed no interest in interacting with humans. From the very beginning, she made her feelings clear. She wanted nothing except a return to the wild.
Recognizing this, the team soon moved her to an outdoor flight enclosure. There, her recovery accelerated. She began stretching her wings again, gaining strength day by day.
“Once she started eating on her own again, and [her] wings [were] healing, it was like the fast track for her,” wildlife rehabilitator, Tracie Young, told The Dodo.
Before long, the owl had regained enough strength to prepare for the next step she had been waiting for.
Ready To Fly Home
Exactly one month after Ritter pulled her from the lake, the owl was finally strong enough to return to the outdoors where she belonged.
She was brought to an open area filled with fields and lined with trees, a setting well suited to her needs.
The moment she sensed the open air around her, she lifted her wings and launched upward with confidence.
“The owl wasted no time in taking flight and immediately disappeared into the thick tree line,” Raven Ridge Wildlife Center wrote enthusiastically in their Facebook post.
For Young and the rest of the staff, watching her fly away was an emotional reward after weeks of commitment.
“Each animal and each release, especially with the birds of prey and the owls and stuff, it’s a sigh of relief when you see them taking off,” Young said. “They got a second chance. They’re free again.”
Because of Sergeant Ritter’s quick action and the dedicated work of the Raven Ridge team, one owl not only survived but also reclaimed the life she was meant to live.
