Eagle-eyed driver spots & rescues owl stranded in the middle of Airport Boulevard

Cute.

Alfie Kwa | November 24, 2022, 12:36 PM

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A Buffy fish owl was picked up by a driver in the middle of the road yesterday near Changi Airport (Nov. 23).

The driver, Paul Kuah, shared his encounter with this "unique passenger" on Facebook.

Found in the middle of the road

Kuah posted on Facebook group "Professional PHV Drivers Singapore Grab, Gojek, Tada n Ryde", sharing that he found the bird sitting on the rightmost lane of Airport Boulevard, just before the tunnel towards East Coast Park.

When Kuah spotted it, he stopped his car to "block traffic" and prevent other drivers from running over the bird.

Then, he picked it up and placed it in his car before driving off.

Image via Paul Kuah/FB.

"She was in a state of shock but was calm and didn’t appear to be injured," he added in the post.

Kuah called National Environment Agency (NEA) and Animal and Veterinary Service (AVS) for their assistance.

Meanwhile, he "gave the poor owl time to recover from its traumatic experience".

Thankfully, an AVS contractor came to rescue the owl and told Kuah that it will eventually be released back into the wild.

At that time, the owl was much more alert and active, Kuah updated.

Image via Paul Kuah/FB.

Buffy Fish Owl

From its prominent ear-tufts, yellow eyes, and black-streaked, brownish underparts, this owl appears to be a Buffy fish owl.

The Buffy fish owl is also known as the Malay fish owl, and they can grow to about 45 cm in height.

It is usually seen perched on trees overlooking water bodies, searching for prey like fish, frogs and other small animals.

While the Buffy fish owl can be found in various Southeast Asian countries, it is considered critically endangered in Singapore.

The scientific name of the Buffy Fish Owl is "ketupa ketupu".

Top images by Paul Kuah.