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After 25 years, owl finally gets a box

MILL HILL – After 25 years of staying in the ceiling of a retirement home, an owl finally gets his own barn box.


EcoSolutions’ Owl Box Project team saved yet another owl at the San Sereno Retirement Village in Bryanston. The owl, along with its mates lived in the ceiling of the retirement village for the past 25 years. After about three hours of searching, a male owl was captured and moved into a brand new barn box.

The owl was the only one found out of the two, and it will take two days for it and the other when it returns, to get comfortable in their new home. Delina Chipape of EcoSolutions said that the barn box was built for their preferences, “Barn owls prefer dark places so the barn box will accommodate them well and it’s a safe space to nest.”

The owl was ringed for data purposes like tracking its movements, the date it was ringed, its conditions and other factors. “It is very important to inform us, EcoEcosolutions, if you ever find a ringed owl,” Chipape urged.

Hussien Moyo of EcoSolutions instals the barn box. Photo: Itumeleng Komana

Claude Pereira, project manager of the San Sereno Retirement Village said that the owls were moved from the ceiling due to renovations that they were currently taking place.

“We don’t want them to just fly off as they are a great part of our home so we want them to continue living among us,” he said.

The owl can safely be moved into a brand barn box. Photo: Itumeleng Komana

Kenoe Laubschl, a retiree at the home has grown fond of the owls and admitted that she gets worried if they are too quiet for a longer period of time. “They screech at night especially when they have chicks, so that can disturb one’s sleep,” she said.

“Sometimes I would see pellets on the ground and I would know that they were still around.”

Laubaschl takes pictures of the owls whenever she sees them and finds them fascinating, “I rarely get bored when they are here, so I like the fact that they will continue living here, just not on the roof.”

 

Related article: 

https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/196548/give-the-pets-a-home-they-deserve/

https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/197112/please-take-me-home-3/

 

 

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