This is the moment a Kansas cop tries to free a great horned owl hanging upside down in a school baseball net after snagging its legs.
The incident took place at the baseball complex of Maize South High School in the city of Maize in the US state of Kansas on Monday.
The rescued owl was subsequently taken to the Eagle Valley Raptor Center in the city of Cheney where experts expect it to make a full recovery.
The Maize Police Department said that the young great horned owl was found tangled in a fence on the school’s baseball field.
Images shared by the police show the owl hanging upside down in the net of the batter’s cage with its legs and talons apparently caught up.
A rescuer attempts to rescue the large bird as it flails helplessly to break free.
The police said that officers and maintenance staff were eventually able to free the owl and take it to the Eagle Valley Raptor Center for checks.
The centre specialises in treating injured or orphaned birds of prey before returning them to the wild, adding that great horned owls are the most common and largest owl living all-year-round in Kansas.
Later the same day, the Maize Police Department said: “We are happy to report the owl is doing very well at the Eagle Valley Raptor Center and is expected to make a full recovery.”
Alex Hammett, who works for the school management company Maize USD 266., told Newsflash: “I happened to drive by the baseball complex that morning, where I spotted the owl tangled in the mesh. After calling multiple rescue agencies who wouldn’t take it, I called the local police department, and they sent out Detective Piper (the man in the video).
“Detective piper was able to mostly free the bird, while I obtained welding gloves and arm shields. I held onto the owl while he untangled him the rest of the way. We decided to put him down and see if he’d fly off on his own, but he only made it 100 yards before crashing and walking on one leg.”
He added: “Two other guys I work with were able to get around the front of the owl and distract it with whistles and clapping so I was able to sneak up behind it and put a box over it. Then, Detective Piper slid the box lid under the box, taped it, and transported the owl to Eagle Valley Raptor Center in Cheney where it is expected to make a full recovery. “
