After a poor owl was found in terrible condition, a wildlife center helped him make an incredible recovery.

The Raven Ridge Animal Centre, in Pennsylvania, announced last month that it had taken in a Great Horned Owl who had been rescued from a manure pit.

According to a Facebook post, the owl had been trapped in the pit for at least two days and was in rough shape. He was dehydrated, weak, and covered in layers of caked-on manure which took several baths to get off.

“I knew it was gonna be a long night,” wildlife rehabilitator Tracie Young told The Dodo, adding that despite the trauma the owl was “subdued”: “He was tired from struggling.”

The owl had also suffered severe eye trauma — his right eye was deep red and filled with blood. The rescuers later found a steel BB in his eye, revealing that the bird had been illegally shot with a BB gun.

“We had to wait for the blood in the eye to be absorbed by the body, so that we could see if there was any permanent damage,” Young said in a statement to People. “Over the next few days, the body started absorbing the blood in the eye. We administered fluids, the owl had to be tube-fed and given several baths.”

Because he was found in a manure pit, the rescuers lovingly nicknamed the bird “Stinky.” They knew it would be a long road to recovery, but the owl remained incredibly resilient.

Because he was found in a manure pit, the rescuers lovingly nicknamed the bird “Stinky.” They knew it would be a long road to recovery, but the owl remained incredibly resilient.

Over time the rescuers were able to examine the extent of damage to the eye, and discovered a miracle: despite the trauma, the owl did not sustain any permanent eye damage or loss of vision.