Great Horned Owl sent back to its Blacksburg home

BLACKSBURG, Va. (WDBJ) -On Friday, an owl rescued by the Southwest Virginia Wildlife Center in Roanoke was released back into the wild after being nursed back to health.

Dozens of people gathered at Pandapas Pond in Blacksburg for the release.

The center says folks in Blacksburg brought them the owl after it looked malnourished and wasn’t acting right. They ran some tests and figured the Great Horned Owl may have been clipped by a car.

Now two months later, and treatment for parasites and a good feeding, folks got to watch the bird fly back to its home.

“It’s important to give back and have people come out to see what they’re helping to do by helping us," said staff rehabber Samantha Cline.

Great Horned Owls don’t have a sense of smell, so it’s known to keep the skunk population under control.

Cline said in order to feed the owl for two months it cost the center about $600. You can learn more about the wildlife center here and how you can help to support them.