“Thank yoooo for rescuing me”
This is the second owl to visit Cradlestone Mall.
Stunned Cradlestone Mall shoppers once again had their eyes turned up to the sky when a tiny barn owl visited the Food Court on Tuesday, 7 March.
Mall staff first spotted the owl early that morning sitting eerily at one of the window panes looking out onto the hill.
Photo: Cradlestone Mall
They immediately contacted Owl Rescue in Hartbeespoort to come and save the mysterious creature. The rescue team arrived soon after and used the area in front of the Ster-Kinekor food court to reach the owl, which was sitting almost four stories above ground.
Once the team had the owl in their grasp, they classified it as a barn owl.
“The owl doesn’t seem to have suffered any long-term effects from its adventure,” said Brendan Murray, founder of Owl Rescue.
“Barn owls love being inside buildings and this one unfortunately couldn’t find it’s way out of the mall.”
Murray named the owl Rex, derived from the T-rex which features as Cradlestone’s mascot.
“We are glad we rescued him that day because he was underfed and I don’t know if he would have lasted another night.”
Barn owls eat small rodents and they will not eat anything that does not look familiar or that does not move.
“Some shoppers tried to lure him closer with hamburger patties to feed him, but he did not respond at all.” Rex is making a strong recovery at the Owl Rescue Centre and will be released as soon as he gains enough weight.
Photo: Cradlestone Mall
This is the second owl to make an appearance in the Mall in three weeks.
Najla Richardson, Manager for Cradlestone believes that an owl is a good omen.
“If an owl flies into someone’s house and won’t leave, it’s a good omen,” said Najla.
She wished the previous owl a safe and peaceful journey.
Katlego Maseloane, spokesperson for Cradlestone Mall said they were unable to confirm that this is the owl they spotted on 19 January, so they assumed this is another one.
“We want to thank all shoppers and Mall staff for their concern about the owl’s safety,” said Katlego.
Read more here
VIDEO: Sick owl out of the woods
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