Dutch Owl's Rampage Ends Safely For All

We sent out the alert to travelers headed for the Netherlands last month that an eagle owl was targeting runners and other unsuspecting pedestrians in the town of Purmerend.

The bird would take aim at human heads, inflicting wounds that required stitches, and prompting people to wear helmets and other protective gear.

Now, the Guardian reports the skies are safe and the terror alert is cancelled:

"'The animal was trapped by a falconer today,' the Purmerend city council said on Friday evening.

"'It's in good health and is currently being kept in a temporary facility awaiting a transfer once a proper permanent home has been found,' it added."

It's not that the Dutch town didn't like the owl. AP quotes Alderman Mario Hegger as saying said the municipality would have preferred to leave the "magnificent bird of prey" alone but "it became too risky."

The Dutch owl isn't the only one peeved with humans: Another one was keeping folks in Salem, Oregon, watching the skies and designing warning road signs, Oregon Public Broadcasting reports.