Owl Stuck in Halloween Spider Web Set Free

Special Feature by Wild Care

For this Western Screech Owl, the Halloween decorations on a Novato home weren’t just scary, they were life-threatening. ”He was hanging upside down right outside the front door,” the homeowner said. “When we opened the door he just hung there and blinked at us!”

The Marin Humane Society was called in and the officer gently snipped away the fibers that tied the little owl to the porch, and brought him, panting with stress and still ensnared in web, to WildCare in San Rafael, California.

The owl is thoroughly examined for injuries.

Screech Owls are small woodland owls that are common in our suburban neighborhoods. Despite their small stature, these owls have big personalities, and our Halloween owl was no exception. Despite his obvious stress and fear, he clacked his beak and tried to bite through the heavy gloves his handlers wore to protect themselves as he was gently sedated to allow removal of all the fake spiderweb fibers.

After removing all the strands, he was checked completely for any remaining fibers, x-rayed to make sure he hadn’t broken anything during his ordeal, and left to rest over night.

The following day we released him at the house where he was caught (now spiderweb-free) and gave the neighborhood children an amazing glimpse of a wild owl, and some food for thought when it comes to Halloween. See the video below of the owl flying free.

WildCare Cautions Halloween Lovers to Follow These 5 Tips:

Don’t use fake spiderweb or other decorations made of entangling fibers. Wild animals can easily get trapped and not be able to break the material to free themselves.
Avoid decorations with loops or closed circles. A foraging animal can inadvertently put his head through a loop or circle and choke himself.
Avoid decorations with small, dangling, edible-looking parts.
Make sure all candy wrappers are disposed of properly.
Don’t leave candy out where wildlife may find it.

If you have an animal rescue story you’d like to share, please visit The Great Animal Rescue Chase today.

11 Baby Opossums Saved From Walls of House

Opossum in My Overcoat: How I Saved Her That Night

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Katherine W.

8:55AM PST on Nov 8, 2012

This story, with it's happy ending, makes my heart smile! So glad this awesome creature was saved. Kudos to everyone involved.

November 8
send a green star

Carrie-Anne B.

1:30PM PST on Nov 4, 2012

great ending, thanks for sharing :)

November 4
send a green star

Tamara H.

10:06AM PDT on Oct 31, 2012

Thank God this beautiful owl was rescued in time. It seems that humans are so caught up in these insulated bubbles that there is no room for thought for anyone but themselves. It saddens me to see such willful ignorance. I realize that the family who had the webbing up was not intentionally trying to hurt any animals, but the lack of forethought is dangerous to all wildlife.