Barn owl rescued by British Army 70 miles out at sea returns to wild in Suffolk
The Owl was found exhausted during a round-Britain sailing race before undergoing weeks of rehabilitation
A barn owl rescued by members of the British Army after being found struggling around 70 miles out at sea is being returned to the wild in Suffolk.
The female owl, nicknamed Little Reg, was discovered by the Fujitsu British Soldier sailing team during the RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race on 20 August.
According to the RSPCA, the exhausted bird had fallen into the water multiple times before the crew managed to bring her aboard, where they provided warmth, food and shelter.
What followed was a rescue involving several organisations and weeks of specialist rehabilitation to get her strong enough to fly properly again.
She is now ready to return to the wild at a protected soft-release site in Suffolk.
'An absolute adventure'
Evangelos Achilleos, Wildlife Manager at the RSPCA's East Winch Wildlife Centre in Norfolk, said the circumstances surrounding Little Reg's arrival were so unusual he initially questioned whether he had understood them correctly.
"This owl has had an absolute adventure. It's crazy to think this kind of story of this owl that's been nicknamed Little Red, that she was found, she was basically rescued 70 miles out at sea by the British Army, their racing team."
Mr Achilleos said Marine and Wildlife Rescue contacted the centre to ask whether it could help with her rehabilitation.
He described the operation as a "collaborative effort", involving a number of organisations working together to rescue and rehabilitate the bird.
The sailing crew had connected with the Barn Owl Trust, while Dan Goldsmith, from Marine and Wildlife Rescue, worked to coordinate a handover off the Norfolk coast.
Caister Independent Lifeboat then helped bring Little Reg safely ashore.
Weeks of rehabilitation
By the time Little Reg arrived at East Winch Wildlife Centre, Mr Achilleos said she was "quite emaciated" and weak.
He said the amount of flying she had done offshore would have taken a significant amount of energy from the bird.
After being assessed by the centre's veterinary, nursing and wildlife teams, she was given supplementary food, fluids and appropriate warmth to help conserve her energy.
But getting her healthy enough to return to the wild involved more than simply allowing her to rest.
Little Reg initially recovered indoors in the centre's isolation area before progressing to outdoor aviaries.
Her final stage involved moving into a 96-foot flight aviary, where she could rebuild the flight muscles which had been compromised following her ordeal.
"She really did need all that resource and energy, a bit of TLC to be able to return back to the fitness that she had."
A second chance in the wild
Rather than simply being released immediately, Little Reg is being returned to the wild through a "soft release".
The process allows a rehabilitated animal to adjust gradually to its new surroundings before becoming fully independent.
Mr Achilleos said returning wildlife to where it belongs is ultimately the purpose of the centre's work.
"This beautiful barn owl belongs in the wild."
He said Little Reg would move through the final stages of her release before entering suitable barn owl habitat.
"It's never sad. It's always happy because that is the reason why you're here.
"You're here for them to be given their second chance that they potentially wouldn't have had unless there were facilities and resources like ours to be able to assist her through this journey."
The RSPCA has stressed there is no guarantee Little Reg will fly out of the soft-release site immediately.
Why her new home is being kept secret
The exact location of Little Reg's release is not being disclosed to protect her and other animals at the site.
Mr Achilleos said keeping release locations private was standard practice in wildlife rehabilitation, partly because people trying to find a newly released animal could cause additional stress.
"It's mostly to safeguard the welfare of the animal you're releasing to make sure that they're going to a nice, a calm setting."
He said there was also a risk of wildlife being deliberately persecuted, meaning organisations try to safeguard release locations wherever possible.
Wider pressures facing barn owls
Little Reg's return comes as wildlife experts continue to raise concerns about some of the pressures facing barn owls and other birds of prey.
Mr Achilleos said the loss of farmland and meadows remained an ongoing concern, while persecution and secondary poisoning caused by rodenticides could also affect birds of prey.
He urged people to respect wildlife when spending time in natural environments, including avoiding unnecessary disturbance to nesting birds and resting animals.
"We need to remember that when we do go into nature, we are going into lots of different animals' homes."
He added that people should aim to "leave nature better than how it was when we went", rather than leaving litter or creating excessive noise which could disturb wildlife.
'I just hope she thrives'
After an extraordinary journey from the open sea to rehabilitation and finally Suffolk, the hope now is that Little Reg will once again be able to live independently.
Mr Achilleos said:
"I'm just hoping she thrives in the wild, which she should, because that's where she came from.
"So I just hope she settles in her new habitat and just manages to reproduce and hopefully can, yeah, just continue her legacy in her own way."