Owen the Owl was stranded in the middle the road. A Georgia police officer rescued him.

Sarah Al-Arshani, USA TODAY
·2 min read
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A police officer in Milton, George helped save an owl who had been hit by a car on December 22.
A police officer in Milton, George helped save an owl who had been hit by a car on December 22.

An owl in Georgia may owe its life to a compassionate police officer who quickly took action after spotting him sitting in the middle of the road.

Sergeant Chad West of the Milton Police Department was driving up Highway 9 when he spotted "Owen the Owl" sitting in the road on Dec. 22. West turned his car around and rescued the owl to prevent further harm.

Luckily for the owl, one of West's colleagues, Officer Charles Fannon, was on duty. Fannon had some experience with owls and quickly determined that Owen was likely hit by a car.

A police officer in Milton, George helped save an owl who had been hit by a car on December 22.
A police officer in Milton, George helped save an owl who had been hit by a car on December 22.

The officers reached out to the local Veterinary Emergency Group which took him in for the night and made sure he was OK. Owen was then taken in by the wildlife rehabilitation group, HawkTalk, Inc., who continued to care for him.

Less than a week later and Owen was all better and ready to go home.

"We love a happy ending!" Milton Police said in a Facebook post.

West and Fannon joined HawkTalk's Monteen McCord to release him back to his home along Highway 9 near Stonecreek Church.

A video of Owen's release showed a group of very excited kids rushing up and asking to pet the owl before the creature was freed.

The kids, amazed at how "soft" Owen's feathers were, got a little lesson on why that is. One of the officers can be heard telling them the bird is so soft because owls have to be "silent" when they fly.

Owls in the U.S. face several threats

In the U.S., there are 19 varying species of owls in all different shapes and sizes, according to the American Bird Conservancy. These creatures face several threats including habitat loss, pesticides, and vehicle collisions, which have already resulted in a decline of a third of all the owl species in the country.

However, not all species of owls are in decline. In forests across the West Coast, biologists with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service have said that barred owls have been crowding out spotted owls. The barred owls are not native to the region, and experts said they're concerned that the spotted owl could disappear from parts of Washington and Oregon if they don't do anything about it.

So, they've recently proposed a plan to shoot hundreds of thousands of barred owls over the next 30 years, as a way to help the spotted owl population grow.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Owen the owl recovers and is rereleased after officer rescues him