There’s a serious side to this, too, since cruise ships are optimized for humans, not owls.
“These Owls Took a Free Vacation on a Cruise Ship—but Soon They’ll Be Heading Home”
Sarah Kuta, Smithsonian Magazine (December 17, 2025)
“A pair of burrowing owls made themselves at home aboard Royal Caribbean International’s Allure of the Seas in February, joining a trans-Atlantic sailing to Spain. They’ll return to the United States next month“…Nobody noticed the tiny owls until the voyage was already underway. They’d apparently taken up residence in Central Park, a large, green, open-air neighborhood aboard the ship with more than 12,000 plants. Passengers spotted the pair hanging out in the park, as well as at the vessel’s miniature golf course and in the solarium….”
Something like this happened a couple years back when another burrowing owl — just one that time — stowed away on Royal Caribbean International’s Symphony of the Seas.
After folks found this pair, crew members caught them: and then saw to it that they had food and water for the rest of the trip.
At the moment they’re staying at a wildlife rescue center in Murcia, Spain. Wildlife officials in Florida are setting up a return flight in mid-January, followed by release “into the wild—likely, to an urban environment that’s similar to the one they were accustomed to in Miami before they boarded the ship”.
Why they apparently won’t be taken back to Miami? That, I don’t know.
Reading this article was fun, so I figured you might like a heads-up; along with a sample photo and excerpt.
About animals and being serious, I’ve talked about that before:
- “Animals, Consciousness, and Conscience” (June 29, 2024)
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