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Charlie the owl search led to 3 rescues of injured great horned owls after false sightings

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Published  August 28, 2024 10:08pm EDT
Pets and Animals
FOX 13 News

Remembering ‘Charlie’ the owl

Charlie, the great horned owl, died dies after he escaped his cage during Debby. The search for him led to three other injured owls being rescued. Now, Charlie is being remembered for generating a wave of interest in conservation.

BRANDON, Fla. - He inspired young minds and generated a wave of new interest in conservation. Charlie, the great horned owl, sadly died days after he was found following an intensive search for him after he escaped his cage during Debby. 

Tips poured in during the search and actually led to three other injured owls being rescued.

"We got him when he was really little. He fell out of the nest," said Nancy Murrah, the president of the Raptor Center of Tampa Bay.

RELATED: Great Horned Owl that escaped during Tropical Storm Debby dies after being rescued

Pictured: Nancy Murrah with Charlie the owl. 

A nature photographer snapped a photo days after Charlie hatched, but two weeks later a cat almost killed him.

"The cat actually went up the tree and sometime in the night he attacked Charlie," Murrah said.

The great horned owl fell from the nest and was injured to the point that he couldn't fly, so Murrah took him in and raised him for four years, since he wouldn't survive if released back into the wild. He became a fixture for conservation and would often visit elementary school classrooms.

PREVIOUS: Great Horned Owl who escaped during Tropical Storm Debby found safe

Pictured: Charlie the owl. 

"People always comment on, especially the kids, is I've never been so close to an owl before. I think that really being able to see them and see how powerful and beautiful they are helps have a better understanding of conservation," Murrah said.

But, Murrah never imagined the search for him would generate what it did. He escaped his cage after a tree fell on it during Debby. He was found safe two weeks later, but he died due to starvation and not knowing how to hunt. 

During the two-week search, false sightings of injured birds believed to be Charlie poured in.

READ: Raptor Center of Tampa Bay searching for owl that escaped enclosure during Tropical Storm Debby

Pictured: The three injured great horned owls rescued from false Charlie sightings. 

"So many people became more aware. They said they've never heard an owl before. There's never been an owl in my yard before. Those of us who really love these birds of prey know that it was because they were never looking for them and Charlie brought that awareness," Murrah said.

During the search rescuers found three different injured great horned owls they now fondly call "Charlie's Angels." Murrah will spend the next six weeks rehabbing all three with hopes of returning them to their natural habitat.

"We do believe that all three, cross our fingers, will get to be released," Murrah said.

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