A great horned owl has a local sheriff’s deputy and zoologist to thank for saving it after it was caught in a barbed wire fence near Riverside. Vera Jean Fitzgerald of Wellman is helping the owl recuperate. She and Jeremy Richardson examined the owl. They found there aren’t any breaks, but there is a rip in the wing where the skin is parted with exposed ligaments and she’s lost several major flight feathers.

They’re now working to prevent infection and getting the owl to eat. The task at hand is to prevent infection and get the owl to eat. She adds, they’re looking to get an avian veterinarian to look at the great horned owl. Fitzgerald isn’t new to helping wild animals heal; she’s taken care of raccoons, foxes, skunks and moles in the past.

Depending on how the owl’s wing heals, they’ll reintroduce her to the wild. However, if it can’t be repaired she’ll likely become an educational animal with a raptor center.

Listen to Monday’s Washington Page for the full interview with Fitzgerald.