SUFFOLK, UK — The saga of a chubby owl who couldn't fly has a happy ending after a calorically-centered rehab.
When the little raptor was found in a ditch in early January, her rescuers feared she was injured and couldn't fly. Turns out, she was just badly overweight, the result of gorging herself on field mice and voles.
Plump, as she was later named, was dropped off at the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary in eastern England in early January sopping wet and "simply extremely obese." She tipped the scales at 245 grams or just over half a pound, about one-third heavier than a normal owl of her species and age.
Staff concluded that due to a historically warm December, the owl's territory was found "crawling with field mice and voles." The little raptor gorged herself. "She had a lovely time but went too far," said head falconer Rufus Samkin.
Plump was immediately put on a strict diet, and staff also encouraged her to exercise. Within two weeks time she lost almost 30 grams.
With her rehab complete, the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary released the now not-so-plump owl into the wild.
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