Firefighters Dive In To Rescue Injured Owl

MULBERRY, FL — Daring water rescues aren’t necessarily out of the ordinary for firefighters in a state like Florida. It’s not every day, however, that first responders find themselves diving in to rescue an injured owl from a backyard pool.

That’s exactly what Polk County Fire Rescue officials say three of their firefighters found themselves doing on Monday morning. According to the agency, Station 710 in Mulberry’s Willow Oak area received a call around 7:30 a.m. May 22 from a man who was at his wit’s end trying to figure out who to call to help an own that had become trapped in his pool.

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Wanting to lend a hand, Capt. James Towns, engineer Darren Monk, and firefighter James Parker headed out to the man’s Bailey Road home. Once there, they saw the critter stuck in about a foot of water. The owl had managed to get its claw entangled in a tarp and couldn’t fly away.

The three quickly entered the pool to save the bird, but discovered another reason it hadn’t been able to break free. The critter had also suffered an injury, an email from fire rescue said. Realizing it was more than a simple rescue and release, the three called on Woodland Wonders to come out. That organization has since collected the owl with hopes of rehabilitating it.

Woodland Wonders is a Polk County-based nonprofit dedicated to helping provide treatment and care for orphaned, injured and ill wildlife. To find out more, visit it online.

According to the county, the owl appeared to have an injury to its wing, which necessitated the call out of the animal rescue.

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Photos courtesy of Polk County Fire Rescue