A young great horned owl that became trapped in a concrete mixer in southwestern Utah has recovered and been released back into the wild, possibly wiser from the ordeal. The owl entered a truck-mounted mixer in late October and was discovered by workers pouring concrete at a resort construction site. A series of individuals helped rescue the bird.
Rescue and Initial Care
Workers hosed the bird down before wrapping it in a towel. Employees at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab spent days picking concrete from the owl's face, chest, and right wing. They used forceps to carefully crack dried debris and cleaned feathers with toothbrushes and dish soap.
Recovery and Imping Procedure
The owl began its long recovery at the sanctuary's aviary, but it did not molt as expected. In early May, it underwent a procedure called imping, which uses adhesive to graft donor feathers onto existing shafts. Bart Richwalski, a supervisor at the sanctuary, said, "The first few feathers were extremely nerve-wracking, but as we got into the groove, the imping became more comfortable, and everything went smoothly."
Great horned owls typically have a downy coating that allows silent flight while hunting. The concrete frayed the rescued owl's feathers, causing a whooshing sound during flight. To prepare for imping, staff examined feather patterns every few weeks and snipped damaged shafts in advance. The owl was anesthetized, and donor feathers from a similarly sized deceased owl were laid out to replicate each wing. Staff cut feathers to necessary length, lined them up, and adhered them.
Successful Release
After the 90-minute procedure, the owl had 10 new primary feathers and a secondary feather on its right wing. It was placed in a large aviary to recover and quickly took flight. Richwalski used a decibel meter to measure wingbeat sound and determined the flight was quiet enough for safe release. The owl hovered as the aviary roof was retracted, then flew into the wild.
Richwalski, who cared for the owl since picking it up at the construction site, said, "It feels so, so good. I think my heart finally started beating again. The nervousness was starting to overtake the excitement, but once I saw him fly out that opening in the roof, it just was, it was a sight to see."
Expert Commentary
Karla Bloem, executive director of the International Owl Center in Minnesota, noted that imping has been practiced by falconers for a long time and is very effective. She said, "I've never heard of it not lasting, because you use some pretty good stuff when you're doing imping." She added that it would be fine if a couple of grafted feathers fell out, as long as most stay until the owl grows new ones in summer. "And now it just needs to figure out, 'whoa, I'm back in the big world again, hunting,'" she said. "Find a territory... find one of the opposite sex and settle down and have kids."
