It Took Days to Free This Owl From Its Concrete Covering
In this image provided by Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the wing of an owl is cleaned at the sanctuary on Nov. 6, 2025. It was taken to the sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, after it fell into a concrete mixer. (Best Friends Animal Sanctuary via AP)
A great horned owl that became partially encased in concrete after getting caught in a cement mixer in southwestern Utah is expected to take to the skies again after a painstaking rescue by animal sanctuary workers who called the bird a “fighter.”
The owl was discovered at the Black Desert Resort and brought to the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, earlier this month with its face, chest, and right wing coated in dried concrete, according to the AP. Sanctuary staff first ensured the bird could breathe, then spent several days carefully breaking apart the concrete with forceps and cleaning its feathers using toothbrushes, dish soap, and their hands.
Two weeks later, the owl was able to fly again and is continuing its recovery in an aviary. “He’s a youngster, which may explain how he ended up in a concrete mixer, and we believe he’s a male because he’s on the smaller side,” said Bart Richwalski of the sanctuary.
Great horned owls usually have downy feathers that allow them to fly silently while hunting, but the concrete damaged this owl’s plumage, explained Chief Sanctuary Officer Judah Battista. For now, the bird’s flight makes a noticeable “whooshing” sound. Sanctuary staff say they won’t release him into the wild until he regrows his feathers and can fly silently again, likely next spring or summer.
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