The owl was, according to the Suffolk Owl Sanctuary, was too “obese” to fly out the ditch in Saxmundham.

The sanctuary concluded that “natural obesity” was the reason behind the weight gain of the owl.

The reason is that in the place where the overindulgent owl was found was “crawling with field mice and voles” thanks to the mild December weather. 

Upon weighing the owl, the sanctuary deemed that the owl, was “rather chunky 245g”, which is roughly a third heavier than a large healthy female little owl.

The sanctuary said: “She was unable to fly effectively due to the fatty deposits around her body. 

“We needed to investigate some obvious scenarios – the first being that she was possibly an escaped aviary bird.” 

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After the rescue, the owl was put on a strict diet by the sanctuary, Head falconer Rufus Samkin said the owl “lost between 20g and 30g over a couple of weeks” while staff monitored its food intake.