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PARRISH (FOX 13) - From inside her fireplace, Alice Shackelford heard noises that shouldn't have been coming out. As they continued over a few days, she grew more concerned.
"We started hearing wrestling. A few times we heard a hoot," she recalled. "We definitely knew something was there.”
It appeared a bird was trapped inside their chimney.
"I tapped on the damper and realized he was on top of the damper. I thought, ‘Oh, this is not good,’" she continued.
Wildlife rescuer Devon Straight with Wildlife Inc. came to their rescue.
"She was looking back right at me and I realized I could probably pull her out by the legs and get her out," he said.
It only took a few seconds and a good grip to get ahold of the feathered creature. When Straight pulled it out, the ‘who’ was no longer a mystery: A large barred owl was now free.
"If they hadn't heard the noise, they would have fired up the chimney and it would have been roasting," Straight said.
In Florida, a long time can pass between chimney uses. That can give wildlife plenty of time to move in.
"What I would recommend is having a chimney sweep company come and install caps on your chimney to keep animals from getting in," offered Straight.
Straight released the owl. It flew back and came to a rest on the house before it took off one last time.
"If he comes back, I hope he stays out in the trees," added Shackelford.