People Argue an Owl Rescued from Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Was Abducted — See Comments

A wildlife rehabilitation center, Ravensbeard Wildlife Center, was surprised to have a tiny owl brought in after it was rescued from the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.

It seems like the Christmas surprises are rolling in early this year, and this one is a hoot. As the yuletide season draws closer, arrangements for Christmas trees have begun in earnest. Ravensbeard Wildlife Center had a unique story to share on Instagram. It goes thus:

"Yesterday morning, I received a phone call from someone who asked if we take in owls for rehabilitation."

As the story continued, the person told the inquirer, a woman, that the center takes in owls for rehabilitation. After a moment of silence, the woman told the center representative that she would call them back when her husband returned home.

According to her, her husband had a baby owl in a box tucked in for his long ride home. Intrigued by what they heard, the representative asked the woman where her husband was when he found the owl.

She said that her husband works for the company that is responsible for the transportation and security of the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center. The owl was discovered in the 75-foot Norway Spruce tree that was cut down in Oneonta to be donated to the Rockefeller center.

At the end of the phone call, they concluded that they would meet halfway between the center and the woman's home, where she lives about an hour away.

Once they were at the location and the box was secured, the center representative finally got to look in the box and see the owl in question. The little thing was a small Saw-whet owl, the smallest owls found in the northeast.

The lengthy caption then revealed that all baby owls are born in the spring, and as such, the idea of finding one in November makes little sense.

They relocated the rescued owl to the Ravensbeard Wildlife Center, where the little thing was being given fluids and all the mice he could eat. He had not eaten anything for three days over the 170-mile journey to NYC, they wrote.

The rehabilitation center assured that he was doing okay and would soon be released, much to many people's satisfaction. Despite how wholesome the story might have seemed, some people were not impressed. A Twitter user said:

"Rescued? It sounds more like the owl was kidnapped from its natural habitat and nearly died because of the tradition of some humans."

The tweet went on to accuse humans in general of strong cognitive dissonance, after disapproving the headline that claimed it was a rest here.

A Twitter user claimed that the young owl was not rescued. She wrote that it seemed more like it was kidnapped from his natural habitat and nearly died because of the tradition of humans to celebrate Christmas.

Although this owl rescue story is very on-brand for 2020, this young Oneonta owl is not the first of its kind to be discovered in a Christmas tree after being unknowingly transported.

In December 2019, a Georgia family got a real hoot from their Christmas tree after they reportedly discovered a live owl nestled among its branches a week after they bought it. While many might not be amused by this, it is satisfactory that the owl will soon be returned to his home to grow and thrive.