COON RAPIDS, Minn — In a Facebook post with hundreds of reactions, Coon Rapids police officer Georgia Carlson holds an injured great horned owl.
"We don't really know how it became injured," Deputy Police Chief Adam Jacobson said Friday afternoon.
He says a driver called police overnight after spotting the owl in a Planet Fitness parking lot.
"It was awesome that the passerby took the time to stop and call," Jacobson said. "Our officers responded and found the owl and actually were able to corral it into a cage to get it to the police department and eventually to the Raptor Center."
KARE 11 spoke with Raptor Center Executive Director Dr. Victoria Hall at around 1:15 p.m.
"It is looking in pretty critical condition, so it's really good that this bird made it into our hospital," she said at the time.
Unfortunately just a couple of hours later, Dr. Hall provided an update to say the owl's injuries were fatal, and that the best option was to alleviate its suffering with humane euthanasia. She says, after full examination, veterinarians determined both wings and both legs were severely fractured, and that the owl was suffering from severe internal trauma.
The police department updated its Facebook post with the news.
The Raptor Center receives and retrieves more than 200 owl species a year, with around half of them being great horned owls. Dr. Hall thanked police for helping ensure this one did not suffer any longer.
"Police departments are fantastic partners of the Raptor Center at helping to identify birds in need and helping to safely contain them and get them in for help because once these birds get to the Raptor Center, you know, if they have a chance, we can do a lot of highly advanced medical care for them to try to give them a second chance," she said. "Not all of them make it, but we sure try with every single bird that comes through our door."
Dr. Hall says many owls live in the metro, and says anyone who finds an injured owl should immediately call the Raptor Center at 612-624-4745 for guidance. She advises against handling any injured raptor on your own.
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