We simply can’t stop laughing at a little owl named Oakley who decided to get down and funky with a stuffed owl that “dances” and plays the song “Monster Mash.”
Need we say more?
Before Oakley was the hilarious owl taking YouTube by storm, he weathered a completely different kind of storm before ending up at Eagle Valley Raptor Center. He was abandoned after a tornado ripped through Kansas, presumably taking his family with it.
Unfortunately, despite needing the comfort of his own kind, there were no other owls at the rescue at that time. So they made due.
For reference, this is a lot closer to what Oakley will look like someday:
In the YouTube caption, poster Raptor Rehabber explained:
“This is Oakley the juvenile Great Horned Owl. He came to us after a Tornado hit in Kansas a few years ago. Whenever we get babies, we try to put them together for comfort and security. He was by himself so I put a puppet in with him until I got some other ones his age. I had just fed him and I use a camouflaged sheet over me so he doesn’t see me as a food source. I wanted to see what he would do when he heard a strange voice, so I played the puppet. Here are the results!”
Well, not only did Oakley turn out ok and get released a few months later, his puppet friend taught him to dance in the meantime.
Blaring out the Halloween tune, the puppet motions back and forth as Oakley first looks at it with utter confusion. “Is that what I look like?!” he wonders.
Well, he certainly does once they start singing and dancing together.
And while we feel really bad for this little guy, there’s just something so funny about him bobbing his head around and squawking along to the music.
Despite the googly eyes and song choice, Oakley was actually comforted by the puppet, or at least that’s according to the voice in the background of the video:
“He is always leaning against [the stuffed owl]. It gives him comfort and keeps him from stressing,” someone says.
Poor little guy. We’re just glad he wasn’t terrified of that thing. That’s a weird childhood to have.
Oakley manages to let our a few hoots as well – although “hoots” is probably too generous a word – they’re more like squalks.
We’re not sure if he’s singing along or begging someone to turn this thing off.
We were pleased to see the rescuers shut down people squalking in the comments who felt that the video was abusive without ever having been part of the situation. Then again, they aren’t experts, as Raptor Rehabber sarcastically pointed that out while explaining Oakley’s vocalizations:
“His little screech is just a sound they make any time they see movement while they are young enough to still be in the nest, in hopes of getting more food…This was a one time deal we did a few years ago. Thank you for your expert opinion.”
Even if you don’t like Oakley’s choice of dance partners, you have to admit he sure doesn’t look happy in his first video, all alone in a cage by himself.
We’re just glad to know that Oakley was freed as soon as he was ready to live on his own. No doubt he was the coolest owl at all the owl dance parties in Kansas after that.
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