Hoo-hoo Needs Some Good News? Injured Snowy Owl Is Rescued Near O’Hare, and There’s a Happy Ending

An injured snowy owl was treated at and released from DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center in January 2025. (Courtesy DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center) An injured snowy owl was treated at and released from DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center in January 2025. (Courtesy DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center)

Sightings of snowy owls have been thrilling people across northern Illinois this winter, but these occasional visitors from the Arctic face a lot of hazards — including humans and cars — when they venture outside their normal isolated tundra environment.

DuPage Wildlife Conservation Center (formerly Willowbrook Wildlife Center) reported that its staff recently admitted and treated an injured female snowy owl, rescued from near Chicago O’Hare International Airport.

Visible bleeding from wounds under the wing and on one of her feet initially led the veterinary team to think the raptor was suffering from rodenticide poisoning, but that turned out not to be the case. Bird flu was not detected, either.

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The cause of injury wasn’t determined, but staff noted that wide open spaces around airports and even parking lots resemble the owl’s home turf and seem like attractive roosting spots, but actually draw the birds to areas with far more traffic than they’re accustomed to navigating.

In the happiest of all possible outcomes, the owl healed quickly, was sassy throughout her week-long stay at the center, and has already been released back into the wild, according to staff.

The center’s staff spread the good news on social media, and also shared amazing images of and fascinating info about the owl’s highly adapted physiology.

Check it out:

 

 

Contact Patty Wetli: @pattywetli | (773) 509-5623 |  [email protected]


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