BARNSTABLE, MASS. (WHDH) - Cape Wildlife Center officials on Saturday announced the snowy owl that was rescued by a good Samaritan and taken to the center for treatment has sadly passed away.
“Despite our veterinary team’s best efforts we were not able to turn his health around. We are absolutely heartbroken that we were unable to save him,” the wildlife center wrote in a Facebook post.
The veterinarian team said the stress of struggling in the chilly ocean waters, mixed with hypothermia and severe emaciation, proved to be too much for the owl.
The bird had been saved by a good Samaritan who was walking her dog along the beach when the pooch alerted her of something struggling in the water. Upon further inspection, the woman discovered the owl in distress and jumped into the surf to retrieve the bird.
The woman pulled the owl out of the water and wrapped him in her sweater before bringing him to the Cape Wildlife Center.
“We want to thank the rescuers for their heroic efforts and everyone for their support,” center officials said. “This is certainly not the outcome we had hoped for, but we are grateful for the opportunity to try and help and that he was comfortable in the end.”
The Cape Wildlife Center plans to conduct a necropsy on the owl in the near future to gather as much data as possible about the case.
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