Sometimes, when we are just going about a regular day, the most surprising — and amazing — things happen!
Two men were paddling in a small boat in a lake in Almelo, a city in eastern Netherlands.
Their boat went motionless when they reached a small animal, stuck in the surrounding marsh.
The helpless animal was a brown barn owl. The endangered bird was lying in the water with his right wing stuck in a blackberry bush. He didn't move an inch when the men approached him.
One of the men reached down and did his best to untangle the bush's stems and leaves from the owl's wing. He pushed and pulled the greenery, all before snapping the very branch that the owl was caught on.
The bird was free, but had tiny branches peeking through his feathers. The man plucked them out while the owl bobbed in the water next him. Once the twigs were all gone, the man picked up the owl. Instead of staying mid-air in his rescuer's arms, the bird flew right into the boat.
It seemed like the owl was having trouble and plopped right back into the water within a few seconds of being on the men's boat. Luckily, one man scooped him up and held him inside the dry boat. The two men wanted to get the owl to a safer place, but it was a challenge.
The owl tried to fly again and landed in the water once more. One of the men extended his arm out of the boat and snatched the animal from the lake. He held the owl tighter this time. The little guy looked soaked and tired after this whole ordeal, but thankfully, the men were approaching land.
They handed the surviving owl over to a pet ambulance that was waiting for them by the side of the road, ready to treat the exhausted bird. Thanks to these men, the owl will live to see another day.
To see this animal rescue for yourself, check out the the video below, posted on September 12, 2016.
Please SHARE this barn owl's journey to safety with your favorite animal lovers!
