Veterinary staff members from the Pelican Man's Bird Sanctuary were a little surprised when they were recently called to rescue a screech owl found perched in a Christmas tree that had been inside a house for five days.
But the story got stranger still when medical staff examined the owl back at the sanctuary's hospital and noticed a sweet smoky smell coming from the bird.
Staff took turns sniffing the bird and agreed. Not only did the bird smell of marijuana, it was clearly the worse for wear.
"The owl was leaning back on its backside and 'vegging' out," said Jeffrey Dering, the sanctuary's executive director.
A blood sample confirmed the diagnosis: The owl was stoned. It was high on marijuana. Animal control does not know how it got stoned, but has nicknamed it Cheech the Screech.
