Entangled owl rescued by Mulberry teen

MULBERRY (FOX 13) - Blake Milliken thought he was just going to kick around a soccer ball with his buddies on a lazy Saturday afternoon. Little did he know that he was going to save a life.

He was at Loyce Harp Park in Mulberry, on the phone with his girlfriend, when she saw something tangled up and fluttering in a goal net.

“Walked over and sure enough there was an owl sitting there,” he told FOX 13.

A great horned owl, and it was in trouble.

Blake just happened to have a little knife in his pocket. He started to carefully cut around the bird’s helpless body.

Stressed out and weak, the owl made an attempt to defend itself.

“He nicked my hand,” said Blake. I didn’t panic. I just stayed calm and waited until he let go, and went on cutting away at the net.”

His girlfriend and her parents showed up to help. So did a Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputy.

After half an hour, the bird was finally free, and taken to a wildlife rehabber.

“We love it when we hear stories, especially about our youth stepping in to help out,” said Polk Sheriff’s Office spokeswoman Carrie Horstman.