When a wild animal is hurt, there aren’t always people around who see it and can help.

But luckily for this injured owl, golfer Craig Loving found it — and he immediately stepped in to help.

The owl’s reaction, however, wasn’t at all like he had expected.

When golfer Craig Loving was out on the course he supervises in Austin, Texas, he noticed an owl squatting on a tree stump in a pond. Then when he looked closer, Craig realized that the owl was stuck — and had likely been for quite some time.

It turned out its wing was wrapped in a fishing line.

Seeing or coming into contact with an owl is relatively rare — they’re shy birds that don’t usually let humans get close to them.

So as Craig approached the bird, he was nervous. But to his great surprise, the owl remained calm — as if it were aware that Craig was there to help.

After Craig cut the fishing line, the owl stayed there, too exhausted from its epic struggle trying to break free.

“He kept slamming his beak down, trying to say, ‘Hey, I don’t like this,” so I kind of talked to it a little bit,” Craig said.

Then Craig used a shovel to gently lift it and carry it back to land. A few moments later, the owl flew away to freedom.

Watch the amazing rescue here:

Thank goodness that there are compassionate animal lovers like Craig out there! Please share if you agree that this rescue was amazing!