Rehabilitated Great Horned Owl Released At Manassas National Battlefield Park

MANASSAS, VA — A rehabilitated great horned owl was released back into the wild at Manassas National Battlefield Park last weekend after spending more than a month at Blue Ridge Wildlife Center in Clarke County.

In an interview with WTOP, Blue Ridge Wildlife Center hospital director Dr. Jen Riley said the injured bird was found at the park by a ranger in mid-November.

“Nobody knows what happened,” she told WTOP, adding it’s likely the owl was hit by a car.

According to center staff, the raptor underwent surgery to repair his fractured metacarpals and spent time healing and reconditioning in the center's outdoor circular flight cage.

Riley told WTOP that center staff decided to return the owl to Manassas National Battlefield Park because typical practice is to release animals close to where they were found.

The owl was released at 5 p.m. Sunday near the park visitor's center as supporters and onlookers watched from nearby.

“So in this case, we had the benefit of having a visitors’ center and a parking lot in the same location where he was found," Riley told WTOP. "We were able to have people come out and actually watch the release."