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Adorable owl rescued in Massachusetts becomes internet sensation due to tiny size

By
Breana Pitts
Breana Pitts
Breana Pitts is a traffic reporter on WBZ-TV weekday mornings.
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Breana Pitts

/ CBS Boston

A tiny owl has become an internet sensation after being found injured in a driveway in Medford, Massachusetts. The owl was unable to fly and was taken to Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Chelmsford.

The adorable saw-whet is the smallest owl species in New England.  

tiny-owl.jpg
Newhouse Wildlife Rescue put a banana next to the saw-whet owl to help people comprehend its tiny size.  Newhouse Wildlife Rescue

The owl had broken two bones, and her case was so severe that Newhouse sent her up to Cape Ann Wildlife.

"They gave X-rays and they found that it had a fractured coracoid and clavicle.. These are basically bones that help with flying on the left wing," said founder and CEO of Newhouse, Jane Newhouse.

Now the tiny owl has to heal and is in a wrap for the time being. Newhouse said that it will be a few weeks before she can fly again.

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The tiny owl in her new wrap.  Newhouse Wildlife Rescue

 But while she recovers, she has become a social media star.

"They just can't believe how cute she is," said Newouse. "We don't see them. They're very small, they're afraid of people and nocturnal, so most people never actually get to see them."

That fame is benefiting the owner of Cape Ann Wildlife, who is battling cancer. So far the tiny owl's fame has raised nearly $20,000 for the woman's cancer treatment. 

The tiny owl isn't the only famous animal to be cared for by Newhouse. Nibi the beaver was saved by the wildlife rescue when she was an orphaned baby. In the fall of 2024, state regulators told Newhouse they would need to release Nibi back into the wild, but the rescue said that the beaver would die if she was released. So Governor Maura Healey stepped in and allowed Nibi to stay with the rescue, on the condition she become an education animal.

"She's been to I don't know how many schools and libraries," Newhouse said. "She's been educating people all over Massachusetts about Beavers." 

Newhouse said that Nibi is booked until the fall with visits. 

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