Owensboro Native Rescues an Adorable Baby Owl and Gets to Set It Free

I love a good animal rescue story and this certainly fits the bill. Or should I say that it certainly fits the beak?

Laci Pierce, who's formerly of Owensboro, KY, but now lives on a farm in Milltown, IN,   was on her way to work recently and found a pair of fledglings. They were in the road and had apparently been blown out of one of the big oak trees on the property during a storm.  Sadly, one of the baby owls had passed away by the time that Laci got to them, but she was able to rescue the other and take him to the Raptors Rise Rehabilitation Center in Bedford, Indiana.

Laci quickly started referring to the owl as "my man" and gave him the name Owlbert. At the rebab center, Owlbert was treated and, as Laci explains, they were able to "get my man back together."

And here's what happened next. In Laci's words, "My boi made it!" Owlbert's rehabilitation took about a month.

After Owlbert was successfully treated at Raptors Rise, it was time to release him back into the wild. Since Laci was the person who found him and got him to the rehab center in the first place, they invited her to be a part of that release.

As you can see, Owlbert looked like a completely different bird with all of his feathers.

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Laci says that, despite the fact that Owlbert looked a lot better, his attitude hadn't improved much at all. As she prepared to set him free she noticed that he "was still just as grumpy as the day I found him."

Laci gave special props to Lola with Raptors Rise and says Lola took great care of her little buddy and was ready to jump into action without hesitation to do so.  She also gave a special shout out to Robert Daniel, who came up with the idea of commemorating Owlbert's journey with an owl statue at the site of his release.

Speaking of that release, here's some video of Owlbert's big moment and re-entry back into the free world.

Laci says, "I'm so grateful for my life" and says her time with Owlbert was a wonderful, rewarding and special experience.