‘Owls’ of outrage over baby bird
Because these birds are protected, it is illegal to keep them as pets, or sell for personal reasons.
A BABY owl dubbed ‘Lucky’ narrowly escaped death by suffocation after being ‘birdnapped’ by a man who apparently planned to sell it for muthi.
The man, believed to work as a car guard at the Scottburgh flea market, is thought to have stumbled across Lucky at Scottburgh Golf Club.
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“These spotted eagle owls are usually found on the ground in that area,” explained Mary Moffat, perhaps better known as Scottburgh’s ‘bird lady’.
After hearing what the man had planned for the baby owl, a protected species, customers at the flea market tried offering the man money for the bird.
The man panicked and tied the owlet’s legs with wire, stuffed it into a plastic packet and hid it.
Because these birds are protected, it is illegal to keep them as pets, or sell for personal reasons.
Luckily, someone was keeping an eye on the man and as soon as he put the packet down, went to investigate and saw that the baby owl in the bag, which also contained alcohol bottles.
When the owlet was removed from the packet, it was frantic and gasping for breath.
“It could barely stand because of the wires tied tightly around its legs and it was very stressed,”said Mary.
Mary, a former Centre for Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) member, took the owlet home and injected it with an antibiotic.
She received assistance from veterinarian, Debi Subramanian of the Scottburgh Veterinary Clinic.
The owlet is thought to be around six weeks old as it had just lost its baby fluff.
Lucky has now been in Mary’s care for nearly two weeks, and will soon be handed over to Raptor Rescue in Camperdown.
Mary has reared all kinds of birds over the years including a flamingo and jackass penguin.
She explained that owls are not social birds and are considered ‘loners’, so it is sometimes difficult to care for them.
“Some people have told me they weren’t aware that these owls are a protected species so Lucky’s tale has helped educate others too,” she said.
“There are a few species of owl which are already endangered, and even though the spotted eagle owl is not one of them, they can be considered semi-endangered as their situation is fragile.”
Should you come across an owl which has been injured or is in danger, contact CROW at 031-4621127, Avian Rescue at 076-2277416 or Raptor Rescue at 082-3590900.
Remember, you may not keep these birds as pets.
The matter was reported to the police.
Communications officer Captain Adam Francis is investigating and his comment is awaited.
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