A great horned owl fell into a concrete mixer several months ago, and ended up with 25% of its body covered in the thick, but dry cement mess.

The two-pound male owl is now recovering at the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, but handlers say it has a long road ahead of him.

It is the first time Best Friends’ staff had seen a case like this in its 40-year history, according to Best Friends Animal Society’s Wild Friends supervisor Bart Richwalski.

“We reached out to other wildlife rehabilitators and they had never heard of an owl falling into concrete before, either,” Richwalski said. “After doing some research, our team quickly came up with a plan to help the owl in the least invasive way possible.”

That plan included a 20-minute daily bath while the owl was under anesthesia. Than

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