Pleasant Hill Police Department Nabs PETA Award for Rescuing Baby Owl Injured in Tornado
For Immediate Release:
May 7, 2024
Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382
Officers Mason Roberts and Nate Stover were surveying damage at the cemetery the morning after the tornado when a good Samaritan alerted them to the young owl, who was sitting alone on a downed tree branch, with an injured wing. The officers called animal control, and the owl was taken to Iowa Bird Rehabilitation, which reports that the bird is being rehabilitated and is expected to be released back into nature in a couple of months.
Police Officer Roberts with the injured owlet at Oakwood Cemetery. Credit: Pleasant Hill Police Department
“It doesn’t matter if you’ve got … scales or feathers, like, we’re gonna help you,” Roberts told reporters. “If you’re an animal, if you’re a person, I’m gonna be there for you because that’s what being a cop is.”
“Thanks to the helpful mindset and quick action of Officers Roberts and Stover, this baby owl was saved from a terrifying predicament,” says PETA President Ingrid Newkirk. “PETA encourages everyone to follow their example by never hesitating to aid animals in danger or to look for animals who need help after tornadoes or other disasters.”
The department will receive a framed certificate and vegan chocolates from PETA.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to abuse in any way”—points out thatEvery Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
