I don't remember seeing this posted...
Len Soucy has tended to about 85,000 birds since 1968 as founder and director of the The Raptor Trust, a nationally renowned avian rehabilitation center nestled in a rural part of the Millington section of the township near the Great Swamp National Wildlife Refuge.
Yet on Thursday, one bird — a tiny, frail Eastern Screech Owl named Simon — was just about all he could think about.
A thief sneaked onto the 18-acre property sometime Wednesday night into Thursday morning and used a cutting device to enter an outdoor cage and pluck Simon from his home, an emotional Soucy explained, adding that the center will close this weekend for an undetermined period of time while security is assessed and a police investigation into the matter continues...
cont'd...Perhaps no one in Central Jersey will be more pleased to be home for the holidays than a tiny Eastern Screech Owl named Simon.The disabled owl, who was plucked from his home at The Raptor Trust in the Millington section of the township by a person who used a cutting instrument to enter his cage earlier this week, was returned to the avian rehabilitation center Friday night, less than 48 hours after he disappeared.
“As you can guess, we are really overwhelmed with joy,†trust Education Director Lauren Butcher said Saturday morning. “We got a call yesterday evening from a good Samaritan who came forward and said that they could bring the owl to us.â€
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