Three little rescued owls return home

Three little owls are back in nature where they belong after being nursed back to health by rescue workers. The group of owls were released into the wild in Vancleave this morning and one of the owls has a very special meaning to the couple who found it.
It was a victorious return home for a group of three little owls who are now healthy enough to rejoin nature after spending months in rehab. One of the owls released, named Hootie, didn’t make it back to the wild without leaving a big impact on the couple who found him. Vancleave resident Frank Wills said, “It’s just unbelievable we get to do something like this for wildlife because we like wildlife so much.”
Frank and Linda Wills called Wildlife Care and Rescue after finding a sick baby owl outside their home in Vancleave. The couple named the owl Hootie after a stuffed animal their grandson Tyler gave Linda years ago while she was in the hospital. “He wanted this little owl to be my friend beside me when I was having surgery and it brought me through,” said Linda.
Seeing Hootie healthy enough to be released into the woods behind the couple’s home Wednesday was a special moment for the Wills. “That’s our return gift to this little owl. We’re giving him life,” said Linda.
According to rescue workers, Hootie and the two other owls are eastern screech owls, all around three months old. The other two owls were recovered after taking a fall when a service company cut down the tree they were in. Wildlife Care and Rescue Center Volunteer Judy Roe said, “Take their temperatures, make sure, check them for injuries and all that kind of stuff and medicate them as needed and just encourage them to eat and all of these have eaten very well.”
Experts say the eastern screech owls are known not to venture to far from their territory and the Wills tell News 25 it’d be a real hoot if they could hear the owl they helped save at night. “I wish him all the love and the life in the world.”
“He’s back home!”