After a poor owl was found in terrible condition, a wildlife center helped him make an incredible recovery.

The Raven Ridge Animal Centre, in Pennsylvania, announced last month that it had taken in a Great Horned Owl who had been rescued from a manure pit.

According to a Facebook post, the owl had been trapped in the pit for at least two days and was in rough shape. He was dehydrated, weak, and covered in layers of caked-on manure which took several baths to get off.

May be an image of great grey owl and owl

“I knew it was gonna be a long night,” wildlife rehabilitator Tracie Young told The Dodo, adding that despite the trauma the owl was “subdued”: “He was tired from struggling.”

The owl had also suffered severe eye trauma — his right eye was deep red and filled with blood. The rescuers later found a steel BB in his eye, revealing that the bird had been illegally shot with a BB gun.

“We had to wait for the blood in the eye to be absorbed by the body, so that we could see if there was any permanent damage,” Young said in a statement to People. “Over the next few days, the body started absorbing the blood in the eye. We administered fluids, the owl had to be tube-fed and given several baths.”

Because he was found in a manure pit, the rescuers lovingly nicknamed the bird “Stinky.” They knew it would be a long road to recovery, but the owl remained incredibly resilient.

Over time the rescuers were able to examine the extent of damage to the eye, and discovered a miracle: despite the trauma, the owl did not sustain any permanent eye damage or loss of vision.

“I did not think that it was going to make it,” Young said, adding to The Dodo that she was “flabbergasted.” Because of that unlikely recovery, rescuers stopped calling him “Stinky” and started calling him “Lucky.”

In just a few weeks, Lucky looks like a whole new owl, his eye completely back to normal. The wildlife centre says the are aiming to release him back into the wild in the Fall.

We’re so glad to see this beautiful owl is doing better and is on the road to recovery! Thank you to everyone who rescued him!

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