Lucky owl survives collision with pickup truck

By HLNtv.com Staff

updated 2:32 PM EST, Wed December 19, 2012

NEED TO KNOW

Probably not the wisest move of bird's life
Thankfully, this guy was released back into the wild hours after the crash

An owl in Vermont got caught in a car grille.

A barred owl in Vermont is presumably back to life as normal today after a dramatic run-in with a Ford truck last week.

The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department got a call for help December 11 from the truck's driver, who said he couldn't avoid the bird when it swooped into the road in an attempt to catch some prey, according to HLN affiliate WCAX. When the driver pulled over, the owl was moving its wings and talons, but its head was stuck in the grille.

"The driver did the right thing by not attempting to help the owl by himself," Fish and Wildlife Biologist David Sausville said. "Owls can do serious damage with their talons if they get a hold of you; they don't want to let go."

Sausville and the driver worked together to remove the bird, which was released into the wild -- apparently uninjured -- after just a few hours of recovery time.

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