Update (December 23, 2025): Sadly, the owl did not survive.
“Unfortunately, the owl’s injuries were too severe for any chance at recovery,” said Britt Rickman, Rehabilitation Director at the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network.
“While it is always hard, we were able to relieve the owl from any further suffering. We are so grateful for a community that has so much compassion for wildlife.”
The owl was humanely euthanized shortly after her arrival at the facility.
Firefighters may have the classic reputation for rescuing cats from trees. But on Sunday morning in Orcutt, the Santa Barbara County Fire Department saved a much wilder creature: a live great horned owl lodged in the grille of a car.
The unusual call came from a homeowner on the 1000 block of Amethyst Drive, who noticed the bird — wings pinned and eyes alert — trapped inside the front of their vehicle. The exact moment the owl became wedged is unknown, but it may have happened the previous day.
Firefighters responded around 9:30 a.m. and worked alongside Santa Barbara County Animal Control to carefully extract the bird. According to County Fire spokesperson Captain Scott Safechuck, the rescue took approximately 30 minutes.
“Firefighters carefully cut away portions of the grille, and after approximately 30 minutes, the owl was successfully removed,” Safechuck wrote in a post to X. “The owl sustained injuries and was transported by the Wildlife Care Network to Goleta for evaluation.”
The female owl was placed gently into a box and kept calm and secure until transported to the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network. The nonprofit operates one of the most advanced wildlife hospitals in the state, located in the Goleta foothills. Each year, they care for thousands of wild animals brought in by good Samaritans, law enforcement, and emergency responders.
Great horned owls are the largest owls in North America and are known for their deep hooting calls and striking tufts resembling horns, which give them their name. According to the Santa Barbara Audubon Society, the species is widespread throughout the region, especially active at night, and is not endangered.
While it’s not unheard of for birds to get struck by vehicles, it’s extremely rare for one to survive — let alone become lodged in the grille and discovered alive the next morning. This is the first rescue of its kind that the County Fire Department can recall.
The injured bird’s current condition remains unknown. The S.B. Wildlife Care Network has not yet responded to requests for updates.
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