GREENWOOD TWP — Kenna Villebrun heard a thump on the side of her truck on March 26 as she was turning onto Lake Vermilion Reservation Rd.
When she got out of her truck, she realized she had hit an owl. At first, she thought it was a baby owl because it was so little, but soon realized it was an adult northern saw-whet owl, which are only six to eight inches tall.
Villebrun is an emergency medical responder for Tower and Greenwood, a firefighter for Greenwood, and also works for Scenic Rivers Health Services in Tower. But taking care of an injured owl was not quite part of her training.
“I picked him up and kept him warm and comfortable overnight,” she said.
She contacted the Tower City Hall and was told to contact Cripple Critter Ranch, a wildlife rehabilitator in Babbitt.
Heather Flikke, who runs the all-volunteer service, picked up the injured owl and brought it to the Ely Vet Clinic. They determined the owl was a candidate for rehabilitation at the Minnesota Raptor Center in the Twin Cities and were able to arrange transportation for the owl.
Flikke said that Villebrun did everything right, which led to the successful rehabilitation of release of the owl.
“If you hit a bird and it is just standing there, there is a pretty good chance that it needs help,” she said. “You want to get it into a box and not put the bird under too much stress by trying to talk to it or touch it.”
The next step, she said, is to get in touch with a wildlife rehabilitator who can help determine if the bird needs medical help or can be released right away.
Flikke said birds tend to heal very quickly, so it’s important to get them help within 12 hours. Otherwise, their bones can start to set in the wrong position.
“The raptor center determined the owl had internal trauma, head trauma, eye injuries and possibly a shoulder injury,” Villebrun said. “They treated him with rest, supportive care, medication, and flight recondition.”
Luckily, the owl made a full recovery.
“On May 9, Heather got back in touch with me and asked if I would want to release the owl, at the location I found him,” Villebrun said. The owl had completely healed from its injuries, she said.
Villebrun met a volunteer from the raptor center in North Branch on May 11, and then she released the owl back on Lake Vermilion Reservation Rd.