Durham, New York — Shoppers in upstate New York earlier this month made a rare discovery while perusing a local antique store this month: Next to a cookie jar made in the shape of a chicken was a live owl resting peacefully on a shelf.
The state Department of Environmental Conservation said Friday that the incident occurred on February 21 in the village of East Durham, about 127 miles (204 kilometers) north of Manhattan.
Customers at The Market Place discovered a “very vibrant object” on a shelf and notified store employees, the agency said.
Conservation officers arrived to find a brown and white owl sitting on a shelf with its eyes tightly closed.
Officers gently hugged the sleeping owl to take it out of the store, then released it into a wooded area, where it flew to a nearby tree, the department said.
The bird, an eastern screech owl, is nocturnal and usually nests in tree cavities.
It was not immediately clear how she got into the store. An email was sent to the store owners on Friday.
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