'Snowy owl friend' hit on I-494, rescued by Bloomington cops, dies

A Bloomington police officer holds and owl that was struck by a vehicle.
A Bloomington police officer holds an owl that was struck by a vehicle on I-494 and was lodged in the grill of the car. The police department later announced on Twitter that the owl had died from its injuries.
Courtesy of the Bloomington Police Department via Twitter

It was a feel-good story for a little while.

Bloomington police Monday tweeted that an officer had been able to rescue a snowy owl that had been hit and injured by a car driving on Interstate 494. Police said the creature had ended up lodged in the vehicle's grill but that it had sustained only minor injuries.

On Tuesday, though, the department acknowledged "our snowy owl friend" had died. "He was looked after & cared for throughout the night," Bloomington police said in a follow-up tweet, "but unfortunately his internal injuries were more substantial than we thought & sadly he has passed away."

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