Owlet controversy reignites after SPCA apology

Four months after a controversial incident in which four young owlets were euthanised by the RandWest SPCA, the organisation has released an official statement alongside a public apology from general manager and senior inspector Stephen Maila.

The incident occurred after Owl Rescue Centre founder Brendan Murray was contacted by an SPCA inspector when four juvenile owls were removed from an informal settlement on June 27.

“He asked me during our initial call if he should just euthanise them, and I explicitly instructed him not to. I told him I would arrange for a volunteer to collect them, even if it took a few hours,” Murray said.

A volunteer was dispatched to collect the birds, but Murray said the volunteer was informed that the owls had already been euthanised before staff left at midday.

Following public outcry, RandWest SPCA chairperson Charlene Mostert acknowledged the public concern and distress surrounding the euthanasia.

“We recognise that the loss of these young birds has raised serious questions, particularly about whether alternative options could have been explored before the decision to euthanise was made,” Mostert said.

She stated the matter was considered through appropriate processes involving the NSPCA, leading to Maila’s public apology.

“We acknowledge that the process took time, but it was important that the matter was properly considered and that the relevant procedures were followed,” Mostert said, adding that as an animal welfare organisation, they recognise the responsibility entrusted to them.

“We sincerely regret the distress this incident has caused and remain committed to learning from it, strengthening our practices where necessary, and maintaining the public’s trust in the RandWest SPCA,” Mostert concluded.

Responding to the Onderstepoort histopathology findings regarding the health of the owlets before euthanasia, Mostert said that the inspector decided to euthanise the remaining three owlets based on the information available to him at the time.

“He considered the owlets’ observable condition, the fact that one had already died, and his years of experience. The inspector could only assess what he could see on the day. The post-mortem provides information that was not available to him when he made the decision.”

• Read the initial article here: Investigation continues into the euthanising of 4 juvenile owls

Clarifying the initial statement wording from June 27 regarding the number of owlets originally taken into care (three versus four) and whether one owlet died before euthanasia or if all four were euthanised, as per the Onderstepoort report, she confirmed that the inspector removed four owlets from a property in RandWest SPCA’s area.

“One owlet died while awaiting collection by the Owl Rescue Centre. The remaining three were euthanised. The post-mortem report confirms that all four owlets were submitted for examination, and that three of them had been euthanised,” she said.

In a public apology statement issued on Monday, October 12, Maila offered his ‘deepest and most sincere apologies’ for his actions.

“On that morning, I contacted the Owl Rescue Centre to arrange for the collection and rehabilitation of four young owlets I had rescued. Because of pressing operational commitments, I had to leave them secured at the Randfontein SPCA branch while waiting for the centre’s team to arrive. When I returned to the office two hours later, they had not yet been collected, and tragically, one of the owlets had already passed away. I called the centre immediately to inform them of this development but was unable to reach them,” Maila said.

Believing the remaining owlets were severely compromised, abandoned by their mother, and suffering from prolonged hunger, Maila said he decided to humanely euthanise them to prevent further distress.

“In hindsight and having reflected on the situation, I believe I should have allowed a little more time for the gentleman to return my call or attempted to contact him again before proceeding with the decision to euthanise the owls,” Maila said.

He added he could alternatively have approached a member of the committee for assistance in transporting the owls to an accredited facility.

“Throughout my 23 years of dedicated service to animals, I have fought difficult battles both in and out of court to promote kindness and defend the vulnerable,” Maila said, adding that he has been held accountable through internal and independent processes.

However, Owl Rescue Centre founder Murray strongly criticised the SPCA’s response.

“We are deeply disappointed by the lack of integrity in this statement, which is filled with misrepresentations designed to deflect accountability,” Murray said.

Murray explained that at no point before the statement was there any mention that one chick had died or that the others were in distress.

“In fact, this directly contradicts public statements made by NSPCA spokesperson Jacques Peacock, who confirmed that, according to Onderstepoort’s histopathology analysis, all four owls were in good health before being euthanised. Furthermore, after asking us to wait three and a half months for the RandWest SPCA to release a statement, they have issued a response that is not only factually false, but absurdly attempts to shift blame onto us for a two-hour response time – all while we were over 300km away on another mission,” Murray said.