Lost barn owl named 'Little Reg' that was rescued by soldiers 70 miles offshore is released back into the wild

• See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source

By NOOR QURASHI, NEWS REPORTER

Published: 01:26 BST, 29 September 2026 | Updated: 01:31 BST, 29 September 2026

A lost barn owl that collapsed on deck after it was rescued by soldiers 70 miles offshore has been released back into the wild.

The bird, named 'Little Reg', tumbled into the sea three times before landing safely on the boat where it was wrapped in a towel.

Soldiers taking part in a round-Britain yacht race in August reportedly made the owl a makeshift bed for the night – caring for it for 24 hours before they were met by a lifeboat crew off the Norfolk coast.

The owl was later taken ashore where it was looked after by wildlife experts. 

Reg was named after a steadfast crew member in the regiment of Sergeant Mark Petheridge, because it 'refused to give up', according to the Royal Ocean Racing Club, which is running the Round Britain and Ireland Race.

'We thought we’d lost her, ​but she kept fighting her way back up and to the boat,' Sergeant Petheridge previously told the Telegraph.

Heartwarming footage shows the crew carefully placing the bird in a box with blankets for its journey back to shore with volunteers from the Barn Owl Trust.

The process is believed to have taken strict co-ordination so as not to slow down the soldiers' racing boat. Reg was left in the care of RSPCA Scarborough but has now been released back into the wild – six weeks after being rescued.

Sergeant Mark Petherbridge (L) and Captain Tom Court (R) are seen with the rescued barn owl aboard their boat

The bird, named 'Little Reg', tumbled into the sea three times before landing safely on the boat where it was wrapped in a towel

Soldiers who had been taking part in a round-Britain yacht Race in August reportedly made the owl a makeshift bed for the night

The owl was later taken ashore where it was looked after by wildlife experts