Dec 18, 2025 - News
Vote for Muppet the owl!
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
It's time to vote for the nation's best animal story and Muppet, our fledgling owlet, is in the running.
Why it matters: We are the City of Champions and we can't let Muppet down.
Context: Muppet, the great horned owlet, made yinzers fall hard. Much harder than the 100-foot tumble she survived unscathed earlier this year in Schenley Park.
- A rare sight in urban settings, Muppet has attracted scores of onlookers, rising to local fame rivaling the Steller's sea eagle that once escaped from the National Aviary, and the bald eagles nesting at a local mill.
State of play: We have tough competition, including a 97-year-old tortoise becoming a first-time mom, a capybara–howler monkey duo — and a drunken raccoon found passed out in a liquor store bathroom.