WILLOUGHBY, Ohio (WJW) — Firefighters in Willoughby rescued an owl that was “severely entangled” in a soccer net at Lost Nation Sports Complex Wednesday afternoon.

“The owl was huge and its eyes were striking,” Willoughby Fire Chief Todd Ungar told FOX 8 News.

Firefighters used scissors to “carefully cut the net strings with precision so the owl wasn’t hurt while they worked to free it, Ungar said.

When the owl was freed from the net, firefighters placed it on a bench so it could rest.

The owl was in good health overall, but a wildlife officer from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources arrived and determined the owl should be taken to a sanctuary for a thorough exam, Ungar said.

According to the National Audubon Society Great horned owls, also known as hoot owls, can have wing spans of over four feet.