West Michigan Owl Found With Zip Tie on Leg is Now Fighting for Survival

A Great Horned Owl is fighting for its life after being left to die on the side of a West Michigan road.

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On December 6th, a South Haven homeowner noticed a bag in their front yard and walked over to pick it up and toss it into the trash.

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That's when they made an unexpected discovery.

Inside the bag was a Great Horned Owl that had a zip tie around her leg.

The zip tie was so tight that it was restricting some blood flow.

Veterinarians at the West Michigan Wildlife Center in Grand Rapids were able to get the zip tie off with wire cutters.

With the zip tie off its leg, they started treating it by doing foot soaks.

They also gave the owl some much needed fluids, and pain medication to help it deal with the injured leg.

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The veterinarians say that the owl doesn't have any broken bones but are concerned about it's infected leg.

If  it doesn’t heal, the owl will have to be euthanized according to federal wildlife regulations.

If the owl is able to get through the infection it will not be released back into the wild but instead spend the rest of it's days at a wildlife sanctuary.

Hopefully all the care the owl is being given will be enough to help it make a full recovery.