Release goes wrong, owl nearly drowns

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Releases don't always go smoothly.

We released the 7 young tawny owls that were with us for 4 months, in a 1000 acre plot of land, perfect for wildlife. All the owls flew magnificently out of their box, but one of them ended up, by mistake, on a lake that was slightly further away from the release site. We rushed to his rescue, as he could have drowned if he had stayed too long in the cold water. We brought him back to the centre to warm him up. We released him near the centre a few days later. In 34 years of Wildlife Aid, it's the first time an owl release goes wrong.

After releasing many tawny owls in a lovely area, one of them landed on a lake slightly further away from the release site.

He was struggling to take off and his wings were starting to get heavier with the weight of the water. We had to save him as quickly as possible.

Strangely enough, he swam towards us, as if he knew what we were trying to do!