1 of 2 | Shoppers at an antique store in New York discovered an eastern screech owl sleeping on a shelf next to a chicken-shaped cookie jar. Photo courtesy of the New York Department of Environmental Conservation
March 10 (UPI) — A conservation officer was summoned to an antique store in New York where shoppers discovered an owl sleeping on a shelf next to a chicken-shaped cookie jar.
The New York Department of Environmental Conservation said Environmental Conservation Officer Darren Milliron responded Feb. 21 to an antique store in East Durham, Greene County.
“Employees at an antique store stated that shoppers noticed something extremely lifelike on one of the shelves,” the department said in a news release. “A sleepy eastern screech owl was perched next to a chicken cookie jar.”
Milliron carefully picked the owl up and took it to a nearby wooded area, where it was observed flying into a tree.
“This species of owl is nocturnal and typically nests in tree cavities, not store shelves,” the release said.