**Live Eastern Screech Owl Found Resting on Shelf in Upstate New York Antique Store**
DURHAM, N.Y. — Shoppers in upstate New York made a surprising discovery earlier this month while browsing a local antique store. Tucked next to a cookie jar shaped like a chicken was a live owl, peacefully resting on a shelf.
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation reported on Friday that the unusual incident occurred on February 21 in the hamlet of East Durham, approximately 127 miles (204 kilometers) north of Manhattan.
Customers at The Market Place noticed “something extremely lifelike” perched on one of the shelves and quickly alerted store staff. When environmental conservation police officers arrived, they found a brown-and-white eastern screech owl with its eyes firmly shut, calmly resting.
The department stated that officers gently cradled the sleeping owl to safely remove it from the store. Once outside, they released the bird into a nearby wooded area, where it promptly flew into a tree.
Eastern screech owls are nocturnal creatures that typically nest in tree cavities. It remains unclear how the owl found its way inside the store.
An email has been sent to the store’s owners seeking further information about the incident.
https://abcnews.com/US/wireStory/sleepy-owl-found-resting-items-new-york-antique-130581807