Big Bear Alpine zoo removed some beasts as the Line fire was raging nearby – now the wildlife is heading back home

With a major wildfire burning near his mountain town east of Los Angeles, Cowboy the barn owl was unaware of the danger and instead was having the adventure of a lifetime.

Perched on the front seat of a truck, Cowboy – along with nearly 50 other animals – was being evacuated on 12 September from the Big Bear Alpine zoo in the face of the advancing Line fire, which blazed through more than 60 sq miles (155 sq km) of the San Bernardino national forest.