ISPCA rescues a baby owl from a midlands main road

The ISPCA came to the rescue of a baby Owl discovered on a main road in Daingean, Co. Offaly recently.

ISPCA Inspector Deirdre Scally responded to the call made to the ISPCA’s National Animal Cruelty Helpline by a concerned member of the public, who had spotted the Owl and called for help. 

Inspector Scally said:  “I discovered the baby Owl, less than a month old and it appeared to have fallen from a nest in the tall overhanging trees above. After observing the area, there was no sign of the chicks parents and the road was too unsafe to monitor further from a distance. Although a little dazed, there was no obvious sign of injury, so I transported the chick to the nearby Kildare Animal Foundation’s Wildlife Unit for further assessment and rehabilitation”.

Female long-eared Owls can lay from 3 to 8 eggs at a time, then will incubate them for about 25 days. Her mate will come to her side often, bringing food for her to survive on until she can go hunt on her own again. The young birds tend to leave the nest shortly after they are about a month old.

Deirdre added: “Huge thanks to the kind-hearted member of the public for making the call.  This chick was too young to leave the nest and would not have survived on its own, especially on a main road. I was happy I was able to intervene and bring it to safety and once a little older, it will be re-released back to the wild, where it belongs”. 

If you do find a chick and are unsure what to do, please call the ISPCA for advice first before acting.

The ISPCA have been as busy as ever and during COVID-19, our essential rescue work doesn’t stop.  If you can, please make a kind donation to support our ongoing work here.

Read also: ISPCA on lockdown but still carrying out essential duties at Kenagh centre