Adorable footage has shown a faithful owl making nightly visits to the man who saved its life and nursed it back to health.
Tiberius, a Tawny owl, was found starving on a military barracks parade ground in Plymouth by animal lover Mark Foden in June 2024.
The retired 63-year-old formed a special bond with the bird – who he named after Star Trek character ‘Captain James Tiberius Kirk’ – after spending months looking after it.
Mr Foden, of Devon, has now shared heartwarming outdoor Ring camera footage of Tiberius returning to his rescuer every night.
He said: ‘He was very emaciated I think and had not been fed for a while, so he was on his way out.
‘At first he wouldn’t eat, it was very difficult to feed, he wouldn’t take it himself so I had to put it in his mouth and push it down but as you can see, he grew into a fine fellow!’
Tiberius wasn’t the first bird Mr Foden has saved and released into the wild. In June 2018, he found an injured jackdaw with a damaged wing in his back garden.
Speaking about the moment he set Tiberius free, the animal lover said: ‘When I released [him], I just opened the door and I filmed it. At first he was quite resistant – he thought this is a bit odd and he kept coming back and forwards. Eventually he leaned over and he flew out and then he disappeared.
‘And then 12 days later, I just looked on the Ring app and he’s sitting there and I thought, oh, wow, this is good!’
Despite releasing the owl back into the wild, Mr Foden captures sightings of Tiberius returning home almost every night.
He hopes Tiberius will one day establish a territory, but continue to stay in the vicinity.
Mr Foden makes the most of his multiple cameras’ night vision, monitoring Tiberius and other wildlife that visit his garden.
Praising the devices, he said: ‘It’s very easy to install and it’s foolproof, and the fact you can look at it when you’re on the other side of the world if you want to [is great].’
This article by Katherine Lawton was first published by The Daily Mail on 8 February 2025. Lead Image:Â Mark Foden, 63, (pictured) looked after Tiberius for months after finding him starving.
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