Snowy owl survives apparent fiery flight through methane flare

A snowy owl rescued from an east Edmonton ditch will spend at least a year in care after apparently surviving a flight through a flare.

“This bird must have flown through a methane flare,” said Dale Gienow, rescue coordinator with WildNorth, an Edmonton-based rescue and rehabilitation facility for injured wildlife.

“We don’t know whether it was perched upon a stack and the flames came up and signed it, or if it literally flew through.

“At any rate, it must have been a very traumatic experience for the bird because she would have literally been on fire, flying through the air, until