Summit Fire & EMS rescues great horned owl tangled in golf net near Copper Mountain
Kelly Leonard/Courtesy photo
In the early hours of Friday morning, May 22, Copper Mountain resident Kelly Leonard discovered a great horned owl dangling upside down from golf course netting and looking too exhausted to free itself.
“Just before 6 a.m. this morning there was a huge ruckus of blackbirds outside the bedroom window,” Leonard recalled. “When we got outside, under the bird, we could see it was an owl.”
The owl’s talons were caught in a net. Leonard said the bird appeared worn out and frightened.
“She was clearly exhausted at this point, hanging very still, but with very wide eyes,” Leonard said.
Leonard said her first idea was to call the fire department.
“They rescue cats all the time, right?” she joked.
Rather than calling, Leonard ran over to the nearby Summit Fire & EMS station at 477 Copper Road and knocked on the door. The unexpected, early morning request quickly mobilized a crew prepared to disentangle the owl. Soon, crew members arrived with a truck and ladders to begin what Summit Fire & EMS later dubbed an “avian extraction” in a social media post.
Using step ladders positioned against the netting, firefighters carefully worked their way toward the owl. To keep the bird calm and protect it from injury, they wrapped it in a towel before carefully cutting away the netting that had ensnared its legs.
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Leonard watched as crew members slowly lowered the owl to the ground and delicately brushed the remaining netting off of its feathers.
“The rescue was amazing,” Leonard said.
Leonard said the owl remained still throughout much of the rescue but seemed aware that the people surrounding it were there to help. To conclude the rescue, firefighters propped the bird into a standing position and moments later, the owl spread its wings and flew away.
Last year, Summit County Sheriff’s deputies joined Summit Fire & EMS staff in helping free a male falcon at the Summit County Resource Allocation Park after it became caught in netting surrounding the dump. First responders then coordinated with Colorado Parks and Wildlife to transport the falcon to the Summit County Animal Shelter.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife recommends that any residents who encounter a wounded or trapped animal like a bird leave the animal alone and instead contact a trained wildlife officer or dispatch for assistance.
The closest regional service is at Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s Hot Sulphur Springs office, which can be reached during business hours at 970-725-6200. For urgent situations outside of business hours, residents can dial *277 to reach a Colorado State Patrol dispatcher, who typically directs a wildlife officer to the scene.
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Two crew members with the Summit Fire & EMS station in Copper Mountain helped rescue a great horned owl caught in a golf course net in the early morning Friday, May 22.
Kelly Leonard/Courtesy photo
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Members of the Summit Fire & EMS crew based near Copper Mountain carefully cut through the netting that had wrapped itself around the owl’s legs.
Kelly Leonard/Courtesy photo
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Wrapped in a towel for protection, the great horned owl prepares to take flight after being freed from the golf course netting.
Kelly Leonard/Courtesy photo
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After the owl was freed and released, it took a short step, began flapping its wings and took off. But nearby resident Kelly Leonard captured this photo of the rescued great horned owl safe atop a tree.
Kelly Leonard/Courtesy photo
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