Woman trapped in car by owl she tried to rescue near Tucson

A would-be good Samaritan became trapped in her car Monday night after trying to rescue what she thought was an injured owl, state officials said.

At about 11:30 p.m., the woman road was driving on Oracle Road just north of Tucson and spotted an owl, officials said. The owl appeared to be hurt, so the woman placed the dazed bird in her car to seek help.

Soon after, the owl latched onto the driver and the car's steering wheel, refusing to let go.

MORE: What to do if you find an injured wild animal

"She retrieved it (the owl) from the roadway. and it was essentially motionless. and took it into her car and at that time it revived and latched onto her steering wheel and her sleeve," said Mark Hart, a spokesman for the Arizona Game and Fish Department in Tucson. "Her intention there was to render aid."

The owl, a great horned owl, appeared to have been hit by a car when the woman found it, Hart said.

Game and Fish was contacted by the woman's mother after the woman was trapped in the car, Hart said.

Game and Fish suggested that she douse the owl with water. But the owl drank the water and kept its grip on the woman and steering wheel, Hart said.

"She's fortunate she wasn't hurt," Hart said. "We have instances ranging from people trying to aide a coyote hit by a car and down on the street only to be bitten, to people separating young wildlife from their mothers in the mistaken notion that a mother has abandoned the small animal."

The owl eventually let go on its own and hopped out of the car, appearing to be in good health, Hart said. The woman's mother saw the owl again Tuesday in the same general area, Hart said.

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