Man has close encounter with wild owl at Lake Shawnee
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Fred Bettencourt was taking his dogs for a walk around Lake Shawnee earlier this week when he had an unexpected wildlife encounter he won’t forget anytime soon.
27 News caught up with Bettencourt after he posted some photos to social media of his close encounter with a juvenile barred owl. He says he stumbled across the owl while walking his dogs around Lake Shawnee around 8 p.m. on May 21.
“Just happened to stumble upon that guy in the middle of the road and just couldn’t stand to have him eaten by a fox or any other type of critter,” Bettencourt said.
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Seeing an owl up close was a first for Bettencourt who wanted to make sure the animal returned to its nest safely without being attacked by another animal or being hit by a passing car. He stayed with the owl for around an hour as others walked over to look at the bird.
(Photo Courtesy/Fred Bettencourt) (Photo Courtesy/Fred Bettencourt) (Photo Courtesy/Fred Bettencourt) (Photo Courtesy/Fred Bettencourt) (Photo Courtesy/Fred Bettencourt) (Photo Courtesy/Fred Bettencourt)
“After I got him out of the road, I stuck my hand out and he jumped on my hand and he kept staring at me with those big black eyes,” Bettencourt said.
The owl made several attempts to jump off Bettencourt’s hand and fly away, only to end up falling back to the ground. Bettencourt said he could hear another owl in the trees, what he believed was the fledgling’s mother, calling out the entire time.
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Eventually, the owl successfully flew back to its nest to be reunited with its family. Bettencourt said the whole experience left him feeling pretty good.
“I spent 21 years in the Coast Guard,” Bettencourt said. “Spent a career saving human lives, so why not save an owl?”
If you find injured or orphaned wildlife in Kansas, you can try taking them to local wildlife refuges like Operation Wildlife OWL). Learn more about OWL by clicking here.
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