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Officers rescued injured snowy owl after tracking it for two hours Officers rescued injured snowy owl after tracking it for two hours
(about 7 hours later)
The snowy owl that was struck by a Metro bus in downtown Washington on Thursday was reported to be in stable condition Friday, as two D.C. police officers told how they had rescued it from the after-midnight streets. As society’s protectors, police look out for the vulnerable on the after-dark streets of the city. Early Thursday, three D.C. police officers demonstrated this, showing determination and ingenuity to save an injured snowy owl.
It took keen observation, an ability to improvise and two hours of tracking for officers Lauren Griffin and Othneil Blagrove to save the white-feathered visitor from northern climes that has captivated Washington. Friday night, two of them detailed the manner in which they saved the venturesome avian, which, in a cold winter, had flown far south of its normal haunts to captivate Washington.
As the officers told it, they were on patrol and at 14th and K Streets NW about 12:30 a.m., when Officer Blagrove, a rookie, told Officer Griffin, who was helping to break him in, that he had spotted the bird in the roadway on 14th. The latest information on the condition of the injured owl indicated that it was in stable condition, largely due to good police work by officers Lauren Griffin and Othneil Blagrove. Their keen observation, patience and improvisational skill got the owl to safety and into rehab.
A bag, she said she thought at first. But then it persuaded her of its true nature, by movement that was bird-like and not bag-like. The officers said they were on patrol at 14th and K streets NW about 12:30 a.m. when Blagrove spotted something unusual. Blagrove, a rookie, told Griffin, who was helping to break him in, that he had spotted the bird in the roadway on 14th.
Then the light changed, the officers said, and first a Metro bus, and then an SUV struck the owl, which has come far south of its customary northern haunts. Griffin said she at first thought it was a bag, but its movement convinced her that it was, in fact, the owl.
It might have been the end of one snowy owl’s Washington ad­ven­ture. But no, the officers said they realized, to their surprise. The owl, which had taken up positions around the downtown area, to the delight of District denizens, had survived its encounter with D.C. traffic. Then the light changed, the officers said. A Metro bus, and then an SUV, struck the white-feathered owl, which had been spotted in recent days in multiple locations downtown. Passersby have gaped, gawked and grinned to see it, capturing its image on their smartphones.
For the next two hours, the officers tried to remain on its trail as the bird took to the air and darted about the downtown area. As they kept their eyes on it, they tried to summon appropriate medical treatment.
Snowy owls are native to the Arctic, but can venture south in search of food.
Being hit Thursday might have meant the end of the snowy owl’s Washington ad­ven­ture. But the owl, although injured, had survived its traffic encounter.
For the next two hours, the officers trailed the bird as it took to the air and darted around the downtown area. As they kept their eyes on it, they tried to summon medical treatment.
Finally, they said, the National Zoo’s police force supplied them with a contact at the zoo.Finally, they said, the National Zoo’s police force supplied them with a contact at the zoo.
The owl flew to one perch, then another. It seemed to settle into a spot accessible from the ground near the W Hotel in the 500 block of 15th Street NW, they said. Eventually, the owl settled into a spot accessible from the ground near the W Hotel, in the 500 block of 15th Street NW, the officers said.
With the aid of a third officer, Kenneth Downey, they set about taking it into protective custody. With the aid of a third officer, Kenneth Downey, they set out to capture the bird.
Blagrove beamed a flashlight into the owl’s eyes, fixing it to the spot. Downey approached it with a blanket, and Griffin held out a cardboard carton in which to confine the daring, but wounded avian. Blagrove beamed a flashlight into the owl’s eyes, fixing it to the spot. Downey approached it with a blanket, and Griffin held out a cardboard carton in which to confine it.
They got it, and then it was on to the zoo. It was treated and examined there, and turned over to a rehabilitation facility. They took the owl to the zoo, where it was treated and examined, and then turned over to a rehabilitation facility.
“The snowy owl is doing well this morning,” Alicia DeMay, clinic director of City Wildlife, the D.C. rehabilitation facility that is caring for the owl, said in an e-mail. “The snowy owl continues to remain in stable condition at City Wildlife,” Abby Hehmeyer, a wildlife biologist at the rehab center, said in an e-mail Saturday evening.
“Today we will be doing the very important X-rays needed to see how extensive the break is in the toe,” she said. In addition, she said, “the blood work should be back today which will tell how well the internal organs are functioning and the sex of our famous bird.” A toe on its left foot was broken; it might also have internal and head injuries, authorities said. Blood tests showed that the bird is anemic, so the animal’s “prognosis is still guarded” as it deals with its injuries and the anemia, Hehmeyer said.
It suffered a broken toe on its left foot, and may have suffered internal and head injuries as well. The rehab facility will care for it until it is well enough to be released back into the wild. The rehab facility will care for the owl until it is well enough to be released into the wild.
The owl captivated Washingtonians in recent frigid days when it made several appearances near McPherson Square and outside The Washington Post. It has striking white feathers and yellow eyes. Snowy owls are native to the Arctic, but can venture south in search of food. The owl had brightened recent frigid days in Washington when it made its appearances near McPherson Square.
Staff writers Martin Weil and Peter Hermann contributed to this account. For a time, it perched on a beam one story above the sidewalk, only a few feet from an entrance to The Washington Post. It seemed unruffled by the stares of the constantly changing group of watchers gathered on the sidewalk below.
Staff writers Martin Weil, Mark Berman and Peter Hermann contributed to this report.