Editor’s note: A previous version of this story identified the owl as a baby when it in fact is a full-grown northern saw-whet owl. Global News regrets the error.
It’s been a week filled with some wacky animal encounters and rescues in the Edmonton area.
While Global News cannot confirm if there is a joke that starts with, “An owl, three-legged moose, and wild boar walk into a bar,” it certainly sounds like it could be one.
But indeed, those were all animals that were spotted — or rescued– by people in the Edmonton area recently.
Stunned owl
A family in The Hamptons, a neighbourhood on the far west edge of Edmonton, told Global News that they rescued an owl on Wednesday after it flew into their living room window.
“We heard a huge clunk, so of course we all come down to check,” said Kristen Mackie. “We have the kids at home — they’re doing online schooling right now.
“There’s this [owl] outside our window, completely stunned.”
The family put the tiny owl into a container with a blanket and called their closest wildlife rehabilitation centre to get the little guy picked up — but the centre wasn’t open yet.
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But before they could call back, after the tiny bird started to warm up, the family noticed it seemed ready to head back out into the world.
“All of a sudden, he just kind of sat up, and he started waving his wings. So we immediately took him right outside,” Mackie said.
The Mackies were following guidelines from the City of Edmonton and WILDNorth that say when you find an injured animal you should collect it if you can, and then contact the nearest rehabilitation centre. Luckily for this owl, the centre wasn’t needed.
“It was a neat experience,” Mackie said.
3-legged moose spotted near Sherwood Park
A family on an acreage east of Sherwood Park spotted a three-legged moose on Saturday morning.
The Reay family shared some snaps of a moose that somehow lost its leg having a snack in their yard in the early hours.
The family said the tripod moose has been spotted in the area before — about one mile east of Sherwood Park — over the last year.
While this moose was just having a relaxing graze outside city limits — if you locate a moose within Edmonton limits or see one that appears to be in distress, contact Alberta Fish and Wildlife.
Why did the boar cross the road?
Finally, a pair of wild boar were spotted on a rural road south of the hamlet of Ardrossan on Friday evening.
The pair of furry swine were spotted by Global Edmonton’s Quinn Ohler, who is currently on maternity leave.
Boars are not native to Alberta, but are raised as livestock by some farmers. However, they can be considered a pest when they get out on the loose because they can damage crops and endanger livestock.
Once the boars become feral and produce in the wild they can become destructive to the environment, according to scientists.
Albertans who see wild boar “at large” should call 310-FARM (3276).
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