Superbowl
For owls that are superb.
US Wild Animal Rescue Database: Animal Help Now
International Wildlife Rescues: RescueShelter.com
Australia Rescue Help: WIRES
Germany-Austria-Switzerland-Italy Wild Bird Rescue: wildvogelhilfe.org
If you find an injured owl:
Note your exact location so the owl can be released back where it came from. Contact a licensed wildlife rehabilitation specialist to get correct advice and immediate assistance.
Minimize stress for the owl. If you can catch it, toss a towel or sweater over it and get it in a cardboard box or pet carrier. It should have room to be comfortable but not so much it can panic and injure itself. If you can’t catch it, keep people and animals away until help can come.
Do not give food or water! If you feed them the wrong thing or give them water improperly, you can accidentally kill them. It can also cause problems if they require anesthesia once help arrives, complicating procedures and costing valuable time.
If it is a baby owl, and it looks safe and uninjured, leave it be. Time on the ground is part of their growing up. They can fly to some extent and climb trees. If animals or people are nearby, put it up on a branch so it’s safe. If it’s injured, follow the above advice.
For more detailed help, see the OwlPages Rescue page.
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I'm not sure how long the actual history is, the most widely accepted theory was first proposed by Austrian ethologist Konrad Lorenz in the 1940s. He called it baby schema which basically state that we find certain features of human babys cute which in turn motivates us to take care of them.
Certain aspects of infants like big eyes, can be found in most animals we traditionally deemed cute. For example domestic dogs have "poppy dog eyes" which is entirely absence from wild wolfs, meaning we likely unintentionally bred them to display them since we like it.
I didn't find much from Lorenz about owls specifically, though there was some very interesting stuff about imprinting.
There did seem to be a number of mentions of baby schema in the articles talking about Flaco capturing the hearts of so many. Owls would seem to fit very well, with their big round heads and bodies and large eyes.
I was being a bit more simplistic, by meaning we can find them cute as they don't present a danger to us, but you've given me some more to think about.