Loneliness can crave company in the strangest places. There are countless pets to choose from to expand the family so that leaves us with no valid excuse to take the wildlife home.
A man was seen driving in Payson, Arizona, with a fellow passenger that belongs nowhere near the inside of a car. Officers from the Payson Police Department stopped a man’s vehicle and they were shocked to discover a young owl seated next to the driver. According to the Arizona laws: “It is illegal to possess, transport, buy, or sell wildlife unless expressly permitted by Arizona Revised Statutes (ARS 17-309).”
The owl did not sign up for this road trip. Owls are traditionally seen as a symbol of wisdom and intelligence. After this trip, the owl is clearly the wise one and this man’s foolishness makes the owl look like the next Einstein.
During the officer’s investigation, they found out that the owl had been purchased by the driver at a local gas station. A motorist, who had found the owl along the roadway, decided to make a quick sale and charged him $100. In the head of someone under the influence of methamphetamine, buying an owl sounds worth it so he swapped the money for the animal.
The driver got the short end of the stick with this impulse purchase. According to the Payson Police Department, he was arrested on “numerous charges to include Aggravated DUI, Possession of Methamphetamine, and the Possession/Transport/Purchase of wildlife.”
Upon closer examination, officers realized it had minor injuries and was unable to be released into the wild. The owl was transferred over to the Arizona Game and Fish.