Fargo officer rescues injured owl all the way from Canada

FARGO — A Fargo community service officer rescued an injured owl from a window well in north Fargo on Wednesday, March 15.

Community Service Officer LaVerne Aventi responded to an animal call at a residence in north Fargo and found a large great horned owl with a broken wing outside the residence, according to a Fargo Police Department Facebook post.

Noticing the owl was injured and needing immediate assistance, Aventi received clearance from the North Dakota Game and Fish Department to remove the owl and arrange for veterinary care.

Aventi waded through waist-deep snow before the bird jumped into a window well, forcing the officer to retrieve a net to safely recover the animal, the post said.

After securing the owl in her van, Aventi transferred the bird to Chahinkapa Zoo in Wahpeton. The zoo is the closest permitted raptor rehabilitator to Fargo.

An identification band on the owl's leg revealed the bird was born in early 2022 and came from the area of Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada, according to the Facebook post. The city is roughly 650 miles away from Fargo.