Outpouring of anger over tortured owl sees reward hit £1,000

The owl – who carers have nicknamed Rocky – is making good progress as he recovers from the ordeal he suffered at the hands of a group of callous youths in Eversley Park last weekend.

As reported by Selby Online last week, Rocky was taken in by the Selby Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre last Friday evening after a young mum, playing with her son in the park, found poor Rocky dangling from a tree. The bird needed veterinary treatment for wounds caused by a length of twine that was wrapped around his wing, cutting into his flesh as he dangled in the wind.

It was initially feared that the owl may be unable to fly again as the tangled twine had damaged the bird’s flight feathers. But Rocky is now flying once more and has continued grow in strength in recent days.

The incident has generated a lot of interest on the internet, where even renowned TV naturalist Bill Oddie has commented on the case.

An initial reward of £100 was offered by Annette Pyrah of the Selby Wildlife Rescue Centre for information leading to the perpetrators the this barbaric act being brought to justice. Such has been the desire to catch those responsible however, the amount has been steadily rising all week as well-wishers pledged cash to the charity via its Facebook and Twitter pages.

Annette said, “The reward money is now up to a whopping £1,000. I had an email from a doctor in London last night who offered to round the [reward] up to £1000.”

The news comes as the future is starting to look much rosier for little Rocky. Not only has he been offered a new home set in 500 acres of Ancient Woodland, but it appears he could have a new mate.

Rocky has been joined by Billie, who came in from a Vets at Howden, East Yorkshire. It is hoped that they can be released back into the wild as a pair.

Anyone with information regarding the incident should contact North Yorkshire Police on 101.  Please quote reference 16082013 0460 NYP when calling.