HALIFAX – Opi the owl has had a rough few months, but things are finally looking up.
The seven-month-old barred owl has lived at the Hope For Wildlife Society in Seaforth, N.S. since September, when he was hit by a car and seriously injured on Hammonds Plains Road.
On Friday, Opi was released back into the wild.
“Eighty-five days later he gets to finally go,” said Katie Hauser, who works with Hope for Wildlife. “It’s amazing.”
Opi was only four months old when he was hit, and it was truck driver Bobby Cox who saw him on the road and saved his life.
“I just got out and saw it was still alive, but it didn’t look to be in good shape, so I picked it up and took it over to the shoulder of the road,” he told Global News on Sept. 15.
Hauser said the accident left Opi in bad shape.
“His eye was swollen shut, and he has some head trauma. His main issue was the broken leg,” she said.
She said he had a pin surgically implanted and was able to recover. After removing the pin later, she said Opi had “recovered very nicely.”
Hope For Wildlife has seen more birds of prey this year than usual, and many have been in due to injuries caused by vehicles.
Following a final checkup where he got a clean bill of health, Opi got to leave his cage at the wildlife sanctuary. He was taken back to Hammonds Plains, and the people who helped him heal went into the woods and released him.
“He did really, really well,” said Hauser. “The whole time he was wanted to leave, he wanted nothing to do with us. He was a great patient though.”
She said it was a good day, not just for Opi, but for everybody involved.
“This is kind of what it’s all about, it’s the big day,” she said. “It’s a tough gig. … We don’t always get to see these days, but when we do it makes it all worthwhile.”
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