British soldiers rescue exhausted owl far out at sea
A British Army team competing in a sailing race around Britain and Ireland found an exhausted barn owl that collapsed on their boat roughly 110 kilometres from shore. The bird is now recovering at a wildlife centre.
A team of British Army soldiers taking part in a sailing race around Britain and Ireland encountered an unusual incident at sea. About 70 miles, or more than 110 kilometres, from land, a barn owl approached their boat, apparently searching for somewhere to land.
According to team representative Marc Peterbridge, the bird flew alongside the vessel for a while, repeatedly failing to settle and falling into the water several times. Eventually, completely exhausted, it collapsed on the deck. The soldiers carefully picked up the owl and placed it in a box, naming it Little Reg after a member of the team who serves in a parachute regiment.
A rare find far from land
Both the rescuers and onlookers noted that finding an owl so far from shore is highly unusual. Experts suggest the bird may have originally taken shelter on a fishing vessel that carried it far out to sea. The fact that it managed to find the soldiers' boat is being described as a genuine miracle, since without human help and food it likely would not have survived.
Brought to safety
After the discovery, a coastguard and volunteer rescue crew sailed out to meet the soldiers' boat, took charge of the unusual passenger and brought it ashore. Little Reg is now at a wildlife rescue centre, where specialists are helping it recover from dehydration before it can eventually be released back into the wild.
Having handed over their unexpected "reinforcement" to safe hands, the British Army team continued competing in the large-scale sailing race.
