Half a South Dakota village stopped traffic to free an owl tangled in barbed wire

Sharon and Scott Jacobs were driving past a fence near Spearfish, South Dakota, when they spotted what looked like a dead hawk — actually a living great horned owl, snagged on barbed wire. What followed played out like a relay race: a passing driver named Brandon handed over gloves, then wire cutters; the landowner's daughter called her father, who told them to cut the bird free; their veterinarian dislodged two steel barbs and confirmed the owl would fly again. The bird went to the Black Hills Raptor Center, which plans to release it where it was found — and Sharon says she'll be there, crying.