Fundraiser scheduled for owl injured in Wrightsville Beach

Local residents are hosting a fundraiser this week for the great horned owl injured in Wrightsville Beach on Wednesday, Feb. 21. The fundraiser will raise money for Skywatch Bird Rescue in Castle Hayne to go towards the care of the owl. The nonprofit organization has been caring for the bird of prey since it was discovered soon after the incident.
The event, called the “Give a Hoot Extravaganza,” will be held on Friday, May 4, at 16 Island Dr. in Wrightsville Beach from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Hosts will charge a $20 admission fee, all of which goes towards Skywatch Bird Rescue, while guests will be entertained by a “Tiny Dock Concert” by Empire Strikes Brass, with a food selection featuring jambalaya.
In February, Amelia Mason, director of Skywatch Bird Rescue, said it would be unlikely that the own would ever be able to be released and that the staff of the organization would focus on rehabilitation.
That rehabilitation effort would likely require a new enclosure for the bird of prey, which was found by Wrightsville Beach residents shortly after it was injured. Mason said it was likely that the bird was hit by an automobile.
The sanctuary already has one great horned owl, but to keep two of the birds, Mason said they would need to build a cage suitable for the creatures.
The cage would have to be designed out of special materials, Mason said, and while the organization already has builders ready to donate the time, the group would still need to buy the materials.
The incident is also noteworthy for an unrelated automobile accident that occurred when the car driven by a New Hanover County Sheriff’s Animal Services Unit staffer heading to check on the bird was hit by a car driven by a Leland man who was charged with DWI in the incident. The animal services staffer was not injured in the accident.