Came back to the nest

Little scops owl nursed back to health after a fall

The little scops owl with its rescuers.(Bild: KK/Sobe, Krone KREATIV)

A vacationer suddenly discovered a scops owl chick in the busy spa gardens of Velden. It had fallen out of its nest and injured itself. Thus began an extraordinary rescue operation ...

The young scops owl fell from a height of 20 meters from its nest in the Velden spa gardens. Fortunately, this "animal drama" did not escape the notice of a Velden vacationer and he and others started the rescue operation. Christian Lepuschitz from the Velden police station immediately knew what to do: he packed up the rare migratory bird and brought it to the Adlerarena Landskron.

After his recovery, the young bird was put back into the nest.(Bild: KK/Sobe)

There, bird of prey specialist Franz Schüttelkopf took expert care of the baby owl - after a good week and a half, it was fit enough for the next step. Together with the municipality of Velden, Velden police and the Adlerarena, the owl was released back into the spa gardens. The Velden fire brigade used a lifting ladder to bring the bird back to the nest, where it could be picked up again by its parents.

For the mayor of Velden, Ferdinand Vouk, who was present, this was a matter close to his heart. "Velden was accepted into the circle of scops owl communities in 2010. After years of effort, evidence of a breeding pair was found in the south-east of Egyden," explained Vouk. "The presence of breeding pairs is proof of an intact cultural and natural landscape and gives hope for an increased population."