Wildlife rescuer called to scene after chaotic incident at car dealership: 'They need all the help they can get'

Yota, a barred owl, had a rough start to his year when he crashed into a car dealership in Squamish, a town north of Vancouver, British Columbia. But Tim Cyr, a wildlife rescue volunteer, was on hand to rescue Yota and release him back into the wild, as The Squamish Chief reported.

On New Year's Eve, the owl was discovered in a Toyota dealership, where he was lying on the ground. When employee Erik Yaremkewich tried to check on him, Yota began flying around and crashing into windows.

"I called Tim right away. Everyone knows Tim — he's the guy to go to when an animal needs help," Yaremkewich told The Squamish Chief.

Cyr arrived and took Yota, named after the car dealership, to the Orphaned Wildlife Rehabilitation Society in Delta. There he got a once-over and was diagnosed with a head injury but no broken bones.

After weeks of recovery, Cyr took Yota to the nearby Skwelwil'em Squamish Estuary Wildlife Management Area and let him loose. The owl settled on a tree branch for a while.

"He probably just needs a moment to feel free," Cyr noted.

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Barred owls are controversially considered an invasive species in the Pacific Northwest, and last year the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a plan to kill 450,000 owls from different species, including barred owls, in an effort to protect the endangered spotted owl.

But scientists also recently discovered that the nocturnal range of the barred owl is larger than its diurnal (aka daytime) range, helping them better understand their relationship to increasingly urbanized environments.

"I love wildlife, and they need all the help they can get," Cyr, who began rescuing injured birds in the area four or five years ago, told The Squamish Chief.

Volunteers are an invaluable resource when it comes to helping care for wildlife, whether they work directly with the animals or provide education or other support. As OWL Rehab states on its website: "It goes without saying that volunteers are essential to an organization. Experience is not necessary, just the willingness to learn, motivation to work and a strong sense of responsibility."