Owl Stuck in Grill of SUV: Survives 60 MPH Hit (VIDEO)
A Florida owl has been freed this week after becoming trapped behind the grill of an SUV.
Sonji Coney Williams was driving her SUV down a Florida turnpike at night when she saw the owl, but claims that she was unable to avoid hitting the animal. Because she was driving so fast, she presumed that the owl had been killed after contact.
"I was driving about 60 miles an hour, he never moved, and so, I said 'Oh, my God, I hit a bird,' and I felt so bad but it was very dark and we didn't pull over," Williams told KXAN.
The next day, Williams went about her errands apparently not recalling the night before. It was not until a family pulled in front of her and into a parking space that the owl inside her grill was brought to her attention.
"There was a family that pulled in front of my parking space and flagged me down and said don't move, don't move, you have something in the grill of your truck," Williams recalled. "I said, 'Yes, what is it?' And they said, 'It's an owl.' And I said, 'An owl?'"
Instead of dying after being hit by the SUV, it appears the owl actually slipped the grates of the car grill, officials suspected. He lasted the night in the car without being noticed. After discovering the owl, Williams called Florida Fish and Wildlife. An officer responded to the scene and opened the hood in order to free the bird.
"Officers say the owl appeared to be in good shape and didn't suffer any injuries," KXAN confirmed.
