Sick owl rescued by residents
The 'sleeping' owl is currently receiving treatment in Benoni after it was rescued in Krugersdorp West.
A resident who discovered a sick owl in her yard took to Facebook for advice which led to the community taking hands and rooting for Mia the Dancing Queen to get well soon.
Corlette Ernst, who resides on a plot in Krugersdorp West, first spotted the owl sitting under a tree in her yard on 1 May.
Later that day Corlette and her husband Marcel noticed that the owl had moved and was sitting in the driveway, ‘sleeping’.
“This is very odd,” she thought to herself.
It was only when her dog charged towards the owl and the owl flew into the garage door that she noticed something was seriously wrong with the bird.
She then posted pictures on the Facebook page, Krugersdorp Community Forum, where she also asked for advice.
Within minutes responses flooded in, with residents speculating that the owl may have eaten poison.
With the help of her husband, she captured the owl and put it in an old bird cage, while organising to get help.
After phoning various organisations and vets, Dr Kramer from the Rant-en-Dal Animal Hospital came to their rescue and opened the vet for the owl at 9pm that night.
There the owl already received his first dose of treatment and was placed in an incubator for the night.
The next morning the owl was handed over Wildlife in Crises in Benoni where the owl will be staying for the duration of its recovery.
The owl, which was in a horrible medical state when it was discovered, had not eaten poison as suspected, but rather had a serious infection which could rapidly lead to death if not treated.
Mia has since shown improvement after being rescued.
The News will stay in contact with Corlette for regular updates of the owl’s well-being.
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