Michigan Owl Found Tied in Seed Bag Sparks Cruelty Probe

It is hard to imagine what kind of person could do this. A great horned owl, one of Michigan’s most iconic and powerful raptors, was found stuffed inside an empty seed bag and tossed like trash along a roadside in South Haven Township. When the homeowner picked up the discarded bag, they discovered the owl inside, zip-tied by the ankle so tightly that blood could barely circulate.

Experts React to the Cruelty

Wildlife rehabilitators say they’ve seen some awful things over the years, but this left even the seasoned experts stunned. Staff at the West Michigan Wildlife Center in Grand Rapids gently cut away the zip tie, treated the bird for pain, dehydration, and infection, and realized she’s blind in one eye. They suspect she was being kept illegally, likely since she was young, and the zip tie was used to mark her, then simply never removed as she grew.

Ongoing Medical Battle

The owl has now been transferred to Wildside Rehabilitation and Education Center in Eaton Rapids, where her condition remains critical. Her foot is badly swollen, and there’s fear of early gangrene. She’s on heavy antibiotics, strong pain medication, and undergoing constant foot and ankle soaks. The only good news so far is that she can still move her toes, offering a sliver of hope.

But the emotional damage is just as heartbreaking. Workers say she doesn’t act like a predator at all. She just lies in their arms, defeated, like she’s waiting for the next awful thing to happen to her.

Get our free mobile app

If her foot doesn’t heal, federal rules require euthanasia. And even if she pulls through, she’ll never return to the wild, instead living out her life as an educational ambassador.