Owl saved from possible death

A Northmead resident is shocked at a veterinarian’s conclusion that a spotted eagle-owl could have died because it ate a poisoned rodent.

Terry Brooklyn, who belongs to a falconer’s club, is seen releasing the spotted eagle-owl in the garden in which it was found. A veterinarian said the owl could have died due to internal bleeding.

“I found the owl on July 1, lying on the frosty lawn outside my room,” said Daniel van Rensburg.

“I picked it up, but it was very docile; I figured then that something was wrong.”

According to Terry Brooklyn, who has experience with bird life, the vet concluded the owl had suffered from secondary poisoning.

“She had eaten a poisoned rat or mouse and then slowly suffered from internal bleeding,” Brooklyn said.

Van Rensburg was amazed that owls still lurk in Benoni, but was concerned about the threat posed to them by pest control exercised on rats and mice.

The spotted eagle-owl was released from van Rensburg’s garden on July 21, after it had fully recovered.