Gladys, the ‘Largest Owl You’ve Ever Seen,’ Is on the Loose in Minnesota

An enormous owl named Gladys escaped from the Minnesota Zoo earlier this month, and zoo officers need assistance monitoring her down.

Gladys is a 5-year-old Eurasian eagle owl (Bubo bubo), a predatory species that may attain 2.5 toes tall and weigh as much as 10 kilos. The owls’ wingspans might be 6.5 toes throughout, and, to the untrained eye, they resemble extra-large nice horned owls with dazzling orange eyes. They are one of many largest owl species on the earth.

Gladys determined to go away the zoo in early October. During a run-of-the-mill coaching and train session, she merely determined to remain up within the timber. After hanging across the space for a number of days, she vanished.

“Working in shifts, Zoo staff maintained sight of Gladys in various trees around campus, attempting to encourage her return using food and enrichment objects that Gladys enjoys,” stated Zach Nugent, a spokesperson for the Minnesota Zoo, in an e-mail to Gizmodo. “Staff lost consistent sight late last week.”

Now, zoo officers suppose the owl could also be elsewhere within the 485-acre zoo or probably within the bigger Apple Valley space, a suburb south of Minneapolis. In a Twitter post yesterday, zoo officers reminded the general public that Gladys poses no menace to folks. According to The Peregrine Fund, the owls are identified to eat small rodents, different birds, amphibians, fish, and even bugs.

As to how you’d acknowledge Gladys for those who noticed her, effectively, right here’s how the zoo’s director of animal collections, Tony Fisher, described her to native information station KARE 11: “She would stand out. If you see her, she’s going to be the largest owl you’ve ever seen.”

A Minnesota Zoo Facebook post requesting details about the misplaced owl obtained loads of replies, with native residents reporting sightings, Ring video footage containing owl calls, and different info.

One individual shared a photo taken on October 8 of an owl that resembles Gladys sitting on a rooftop clutching a white-bellied mammal. Some commenters stated it seemed like a cat; the zoo replied saying the animal was probably a rabbit and {that a} search staff can be investigating the realm. (Whether you agree with the zoo’s identification probably comes down as to whether or not you see a darkish grey tail or an upturned shingle between the white legs.)

The latest escapades of Gladys come on the heels of the escape and subsequent seize of Kodiak, a Steller’s sea eagle stored at a zoo in Pittsburgh. Perhaps there’s one thing within the air that’s tempting these birds of prey to hunt freedom. If you’re within the neighborhood of the Minnesota Zoo and suppose you see Gladys, you’ll be able to name the zoo at 952-431-9200 or contact them by means of their social media.

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