Rare owl chicks rescued from veld fire
KYALAMI – Two African grass owl chicks have been released back into the wild after a veld fire.
Two African grass owl chicks were rescued from a veld fire in Kyalami and were successfully released back into the wild thanks to the help of Kyalami residents, the Owl Rescue Centre and the Greater Kyalami Conservancy (Gekco).
African grass owls are uncommon and are listed as a vulnerable or Red Data species, as there are thought to be less than 5 000 left in South Africa.
Tyrone McKendry of Gekco, who was involved in the release, said finding and helping the chicks was an incredible learning experience for all involved.
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“As far as I know it is the first successful African grass owl release of its kind. It feels fantastic to report on a conservation story with a positive outcome at a time when our environment is under so much pressure from urbanisation,” said McKendry.
A veld fire began on the morning of 13 July in Kyalami on the property next to Sophia and Jaco Combrink’s house.
“As I was keeping an eye on the fire from our stoep, with a mixture of fascination and caution, I noticed that two tiny owls were sitting on the corner of our property just out of reach of the heat and burning veld,” Sophia explained. She originally believed they were marsh owl chicks.
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The two owl chicks had somehow managed to make it past two electric fences into the safety of Sophia’s garden and appeared unharmed. She was only able to capture one of them and brought it to the Friends of Free Wildlife animal rescue centre. Later in the day, the couple noticed that the second chick was still hiding nearby and called the Owl Rescue Centre which advised them to care for it during the night.
The following day, Brendan Murray, founder of the Owl Rescue Centre, arrived at the Combrink’s home, investigated the burnt nesting site and discovered a third chick in a small ditch that had somehow remained unharmed.
“After some debate, we decided to collect the first chick from Friends of Free Wildlife to be reunited with its two siblings,” said McKendry, who was part of the team that brought the first two chicks back to the nesting area for release that evening.
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“Brendan [Murray] and I had a discussion [a few days after the release] and we decided that we had done all that we could for the chicks and now it was up to them and the parents to do the rest.”
The couple has since reported seeing the parent owls flying into the nesting areas in the evenings.
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