WRAS rescuers were called out by a gentleman who found a baby owl in a woodland whilst walking his dog. The gentleman took the owl home and called WRAS for help. WRAS founder Trevor Weeks, accompanied by rescuers Sue Archer and Plumpton Students Georgina and Rachel attended on site. The baby owl had food in its stomach and had pooed in its carrier so rescuers knew that it had been fed by its mum recently and was not abandoned. It is not unusual for baby owls like this to leave the nest and climb up and down trees, even from this young age.

As a general rule if you find a baby owl at the base of a tree you should leave well alone, but this was on a busy dog walking path.

Rescuers carried a set of ladders across a works yard and through woodland in order to get to where the baby owl had been found. On approaching the tree a second baby owl was found sat on a tree stump next to the same tree. After seeking advice from Vale Wildlife Rescue rescuers erected the ladder and checked out a hole in the tree which turned out to be the location of the nest. The two baby owls were then taken up the ladder and placed back into the nest where there were two other baby owls.

Rescuers had to be very careful and quiet in approaching and returning the owls as quickly as possible as to not cause any unnecessary disturbance to the nest, so as soon as the owls were back in the nest, rescuers retreated from the area.

The gentleman who found the first baby owl was asked to return in a few hours and the following morning to check the area to see if any more had fallen out. None were found.

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Press Contact: Trevor Weeks, Director, East Sussex WRAS, 07931 523958

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