Great horned owl rescued from icy lake at Hidden Lake Park in Merrillville, Indiana will recover

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. (WLS) — A great horned owl rescued Wednesday from an icy lake in Merrillville, Indiana is expected to recover.

The bird was injured and sitting on the frozen lake at Hidden Lake Park.

When an animal rescue group couldn’t get to the owl, the Merrillville Fire Department was called in to assist. Firefighters dressed in cold water gear reached the bird, got him in a net and brought him to shore.

Volunteers say the owl is doing well, but has a lot of bruising on one wing and lost some flight feathers so he can’t fly right now.

Flight feathers can naturally heal and grow over a few months, but if they don’t, rescuers will perform a feather transplant.