When a sergeant from the Pennsylvania Game Commision recently got word of an animal in danger near Children’s Lake in Boiling Springs, Pennsylvania, the worried animal lover quickly went to investigate.

When he arrived, the officer scanned the water and soon spotted someone beautiful struggling near the lake’s edge.

The officer sent a photo to Raven Ridge Wildlife Center, and the staff told him to bring the bird right over.

The injured bird was a great horned owl who rehabilitators suspect had accidentally collided with the cement wall surrounding the lake. Now, both her wings were injured, and she was exhausted and a bit smelly from her time spent struggling in the murky water.

Center staff treated the owl’s injuries, gave her fluids and allowed her plenty of time to rest. The feisty owl made it clear that she wanted nothing to do with her rescuers, a sure sign that she’d soon be ready to return to the wild. Eventually, the owl was moved to an outdoor flight enclosure. Staff members were thrilled to find that the once immobile bird was flying without a problem.

“Once she started eating on her own again, and [her] wings [were] healing, it was like the fast track for her,” wildlife rehabilitator Tracie Young told The Dodo.

When she was ready, the owl was released in an area nearby with ample open fields and trees — the perfect space for her to thrive.

Back where she belonged, the owl spread her wings and flew away into the wilderness.

For Young, it never gets better than watching a release like this.

“Each animal and each release, especially with the birds of prey and the owls and stuff, it’s a sigh of relief when you see them taking off,” Young said. “They got a second chance. They’re free again.”