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Owl retrieved from German well after 3.5-hour rescue operation

The bird was stuck in the 130ft shaft in northern Germany.
The bird was stuck in the 130ft shaft in northern Germany. The bird was stuck in the 130ft shaft in northern Germany.

An eagle owl in Germany had a lucky escape after being rescued from a vast well by firefighters on Saturday.

The distressed owl was noticed by a member of the public who alerted firefighters after hearing noises from inside the 130ft well shaft in Bad Segeberg in northern Germany.

A member of a voluntary fire brigade holds a young owl after the rescue of the animal from the bottom of an old well
A member of a voluntary fire brigade holds a young owl after the rescue of the animal from the bottom of an old well (Freiwillge Feuerwehr Bad Segeberg via AP) (Freiwillge Feuerwehr Bad Segeberg/AP)

Rescuers pumped oxygen into the well before they could send a firefighter in to rescue the bird, with oxygen levels at the bottom deemed to be particularly low.

Members of a voluntary fire brigade hold a young owl after the rescue of the animal from the bottom of an old well
Members of a voluntary fire brigade hold a young owl after the rescue of the animal from the bottom of an old well (Freiwillge Feuerwehr Bad Segeberg via AP) (Freiwillge Feuerwehr Bad Segeberg/AP)

After a three-and-a-half-hour operation that required the services of around 20 people, the rescue was complete – and a local park said that the owl would make a return to the wild on Tuesday.