AN EAGLE owl that survived in the wild for three months after escaping from its handler has been reunited with the owner thanks to The Scotsman.
The hand-reared bird was being weighed when it escaped from its aviary in Braco, Perthshire, in February.
Despite being unable to hunt, the bird survived until last week, when it was spotted 20 miles from home in a garden in Aberfoyle, Perthshi
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The eagle owl – the largest of the world's owls – was so weak when it was taken in by the Scottish SPCA that it was hours from starving, and rescuers said it had been attacked by crows.
The owl's owner, falconer Steve Burdett – known to locals as The Birdman of Braco – said he was delighted when he saw an article about the bird in The Scotsman.
He said he had searched "high and low" for the rescue bird, which he had reared from a chick, for two months before giving up hope of finding it alive.
"It was only when I saw her in the paper, I realised she was alive and went and got her," he said.
"I'm delighted to get her back at home.
"It's amazing, really – she must have been surviving on roadkill on country roads."
European eagle owls are distinguished by their great size and long ear tufts.
They were once present in Scotland but are thought to have been hunted to extinction in the 19th century. They prey on rabbits, hares and other birds, but are known to feed on creatures as big as foxes and small deer.
The full article contains 271 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
