The comings and goings of students and faculty at Trident Technical College in South Carolina were apparently not lost on a little, feathered local living in a tree on campus.
That may be why, when trouble befell him one day recently, he seemed to know just where to go for help.
Late last month, staff at the school were going about their business when they suddenly realized they were being watched. Just outside the door of a building, they noticed a pair of large eyes peering in at them.
It was an intense sort of gaze.
Turns out, the eyes were those of a baby owl.
It didn’t take long for staff to conclude that the fledgling bird was in a tough spot.
“He fell out of his nest,” a spokesperson for Trident Technical College told The Dodo.
Unable to get back up to the nest on his own, the owl had apparently come to ask for assistance.
Fortunately, a staff member was able to collect the stranded owl, wrapping him up in a jacket.
Afterward, he was taken to wildlife experts at the Center for Birds of Prey. But he wouldn’t stay there for long.
Following an assessment, during which the owl was deemed to be healthy, it was decided he should be returned to the spot from which he’d fallen.
And soon, all was set right.
“He was returned to campus to reunite with his family,” the college spokesperson said. “Volunteers kept an eye on him the first week to ensure everything was OK.”
Here’s footage of the owl back near his nest, surveying the area beyond which he’d entered just a bit too early.
The well-being of one little bird in the world might not amount to much for some, but this owl’s rescue and successful return to the wild has endeared him to the college’s students and faculty alike:
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