this post was submitted on 23 Dec 2025
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Original Story

Before:

From Salthaven Wildlife Center

From injury to freedom.

This Barred Owl arrived in our care with severe torticollis, likely caused by a vehicle strike. Thanks to round the clock care, red light laser therapy, physiotherapy, and a whole lot of patience, this owl regained strength, balance, and mobility.

A huge thank you to the incredible team at Staples Animal Hospital for their expertise and support throughout this rehabilitation journey.

And to our community, your continued support makes stories like this possible. Today, this owl is back where it belongs, soaring free in the wild!

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[–] onigiri@sh.itjust.works 2 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Yay! Nice to see that this owl made a full recovery. :)

[–] anon6789@lemmy.world 2 points 4 days ago

Yes, I was so excited to share this one. It looked in such misery when they got it.

I hear people badmouth the red light thing, and while it does sound like hooey, I keep seeing more and more rehabs using them. Medical science has not yet dismissed them, even though use of light therapy has been going on since the 60s.

Here's an article from Stanford Medicine discussing what we know and don't yet know about it, should anyone be interested.