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British Army sailors rescue exhausted stowaway 70 miles out to sea
The owl was dehydrated and undernourished, and rescuers said it might not have survived without being taken ashore.
A British Army sailing crew competing in the 50th Anniversary RORC Round Britain and Ireland Race rescued an exhausted barn owl 70 miles off the coast of Newcastle while aboard the Fujitsu British Soldier.
Fighting to survive, the bird made a determined bid to land on the boat after falling into the water multiple times, prompting Sergeant Mark Petherbridge of the 2nd Battalion, the Parachute Regiment, to note she kept "fighting her way back up."
While continuing the 1,805-nautical-mile circumnavigation, the crew nursed the stowaway for 24 hours, with skipper Will Naylor reporting they had an "extra crew member" to nurse back to health.
Meeting the soldiers off the Norfolk coast on Thursday, the Caister Independent Lifeboat crew collected the bird for transfer to the East Winch Wildlife Centre in King's Lynn for veterinary assessment.
Officials at Marine and Wildlife Rescue hope the owl will make a full recovery and return to the wild, while the Fujitsu British Soldier crew continues racing toward the finish line at Cowes.