B.C. neighbourhood owl, nicknamed ‘Whodini,’ rescued from netting

The Enderby Fire Department got a call for an unorthodox high-angle rescue on Thursday.

Unfortunately, the fire department didn’t have the equipment needed to complete the task.

That’s when crews from B.C. Hydro stepped in and came to the rescue.

“It was just starting to get light out and we noticed something hanging there,” Enderby resident Denise Owens told Global News.

“My boyfriend said, ‘What is that?’ And I said, ‘I think it’s a bird.'”

It was a great horned owl, to be exact — one that had run afoul of some soft netting meant to prevent baseballs from escaping the sports fields behind the local arena.

Neighbours believe it was the same owl that lives in the neighbourhood, one they nicknamed ‘Whodini.’

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But without a ladder truck, firefighters couldn’t come to the bird’s aid.

Fortunately, Owens called a friend at B.C. Hydro, which came to the rescue.

Within minutes, B.C. Hydro lineman Lee Simpson and a firefighter were up in the bucket, cutting the netting.

5:40 Meet the rescued raptors at Delta’s OWL Rehab

‘Whodini the Owl’ instantly sprung to life, which complicated matters. But, eventually, a blanket was wrapped around the owl to help calm it.

After being freed from the nylon netting, the stressed-out owl was transferred to a waiting cage provided by a volunteer with the Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society (OWL).

“We will probably (fly) him down to OWL, in Delta,” said volunteer Paul Christie. “He will get checked out and they will make sure he is OK.”

Once ‘Whodini the Owl’ is well enough, Christie says it will be released back into the neighbourhood.