Help protect our owls

Be informed about responsible pest control.

Priscilla Milburn from Rynfield said this spotted eagle owl has been sitting in her garden for more than a week.

Vanessa Davis, a member of Wildlife in Crisis, has appealed to the public to help safeguard Benoni’s owl species by using traps instead of poisons to deal with problematic rodents.

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“Our two most common owl species in Gauteng are the spotted eagle owls and barn owls,” she said.

She added that in Gauteng other species like the pearl-spotted owlet and southern white-faced owl can also be seen, although sightings are rare in the greater Johannesburg area.

Rynfield resident Priscilla Milburn said a spotted eagle owl has been sitting in her garden for more than a week.

“He goes out to hunt and returns every day; I just fill my bird bath,” she said.

Milburn said she noticed the owl when she heard the grey loeries that frequent her garden going “frantic”.

“We need to protect our wildlife, so I just would like to warn people to not put out [rodent] poison but rather use traps,” she said.

She said Rynfield has an abundance of rats and mice, and owls should be protected as they hunt for prey in the area.

Davis said rodent poisons are a major threat to owls in Benoni.

“[People] will go out and buy whatever rodenticide they can find on the shelf, wanting that quick fix for problematic rodents,” said Davis.

She explained this will lead to a slow death for the rodent as its internal organs turn into mush.

In turn, this presents an easy opportunity for owls to hunt.

“Once the owl has eaten the compromised rodent, the owl gets what we refer to as secondary poisoning,” said Davis.

As the rodent is digested, the lethal ingredients affect the owl, destroying its organs and causing haemorrhaging.

“With a single-feed poison, the effect is fairly fast and vicious; usually, by the time we get the poisoned owl in, blood is already coming from the nose, blood can be seen in the mouth and around the beak,” said Davis.

“The owl is usually non-responsive, frequently it has blood filling the eyes, and is on death’s door,” she added.

“There are brands advertising ‘owl-friendly’ [poison], which is a multi-feed poison.

“This means the rodent needs to feed on the poison a few times for the lethal dose needed to kill the rodent.”

But Davis explained owl-friendly poisons can also lethally affect owls, depending on their size, age and general health.

What you can do to safeguard owls

• Keep your environment clean and do not leave food lying around.

• Keep gardens free of clutter that would offer ideal housing for rodents.

• Invest in humane rodent traps.