Rocky, the owl found in the Rockefeller Christmas tree, has been returned to the wild

Add this to the list of good news we’ve heard this year

Rocky the adorable little owl is back to full health and returned to the wild. (Screenshot from Facebook.)

Rocky the owl has been returned to the wild.

The tiny Saw-whet owl was found stuck inside this year’s Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center in 30 Rock last week, and thanks to some wonderful environmentalists, he’s now out.

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Rockefeller, or “Rocky” for short, became stuck inside the 75-foot-tall tree, and he was found and named by a worker setting up the tree Nov. 16, according to the Associated Press.

Rocky, a female owl, was taken to Ravensbeard Wildlife Center in the Hudson Valley town of Saugerties to be nursed back to health. She didn’t have any injuries, but according to reports, she hadn’t eaten in three days from the day she was found.

When the news broke about Rocky, the internet immediately became obsessed with the little cutie.

Other people brought up that it was kind of sad that the owl’s home was cut down for a Christmas tree in New York City.

On Thursday evening, Rocky was let back into the wild by rehabilitator Ellen Kalish. A video of Rocky taking flight back into the wild was posted on the Ravensbeard Wildlife Center’s Facebook page.

Even though Rocky’s home was taken from her and transported to New York City, it’s nice to see that she wasn’t harmed and was rehabbed to full health so she could rejoin the rest of her owl friends in the forest.

You can watch the video of Rocky’s return to flight below.


About the Author:

Jack is a Digital Content Editor with a degree in creative writing and French from Western Michigan University. He specializes in writing about movies, food and the latest TV shows.