Peninsula animal workers rescue owl stuck inside SUV

BURLINGAME, Calif. (KTVU) - Animal care workers on the Peninsula have rescued an owl that somehow ended up wedged behind a vehicle's dashboard in San Carlos over the weekend.

The Peninsula Humane Society & SPCA said its staff received a call from a woman who reported that an owl was trapped inside her vehicle on Sunday.

Rescue workers arrived on scene to find the bird stuck behind the dashboard of the woman’s SUV.

"The staff could hear the owl scratching, but couldn't see him," PHS/SPCA officials said.

So workers got creative, using a portable camera and some tools to locate the position of the animal.

“Once the position of the owl was detected by our camera, our rescue staff was tasked with having to dismantle the glove compartment box to reach the owl,” said PHS/SPCA Communications Manager Buffy Martin-Tarbox.

Rescue workers finally managed to get a hold of the bird, which was then brought to the PHS/SPCA Wildlife Care Center in Burlingame to be evaluated.

It's unclear how the owl got trapped inside the vehicle in the first place.

“As you can imagine, he was more than a little peeved to be stuck in his situation, but health wise he doesn't seem any worse for wear despite his predicament,” Tarbox said.

The owl has been identified as a Western Screech Owl, which is native to the Peninsula.

The bird will continue to be monitored by PHS/SPCA staff and will eventually be returned to the wild, officials said.