St Andrew's School For Girls Became A Safe Space for a Recovering Owl

Photo Credit: Supplied

A Spotted Eagle Owl now calls St Andrew’s School for Girls home (for now); the young ladies will be advocating not only for their own owl, but for wild owls living in urban areas too.

Johannesburg, South Africa (23 May 2023) – The young ladies from St Andrew’s School for Girls eagerly watched as a Spotted Eagle Owl arrived at the school for a rehabilitation stint. The Owl Project dropped off the owl in collaboration with the school, giving the young ladies a chance to get proactive in protecting predatory birds.

The owl will be staying at the school as part of its rehabilitation before it is released back into the wild. The new member of the school has been able to join thanks to several sponsors and supporters.

The Owl Project’s aim is to introduce South African youth to the importance of advocating for owl protection. Owls and other predatory birds often fall victim to secondary poisoning due to the use of rat poisons in urban areas.

Having the owl at St Andrew’s School for Girls means they will help surrounding communities understand the important role they play within society and that having owls is far better for managing rodent populations versus poisoning rodents.

“We recently welcomed a new member to the St Andrew’s School for Girls family for a few weeks, a Spotted Eagle Owl, to help rehabilitate and release. Thank you, The Owl Project, for entrusting us with her, and for all you do in educating communities about the importance of owls in our environment.”

“Owls are the best solutions in combating rodent problems, and as an EcoSchool, we urge our community to not use rodenticides. Not only do the poisons cause very painful deaths for rodents, but the owls are affected by secondary poisoning when they eat the poisoned rodents.

Thank you to the sponsors who make it possible for The Owl Project to do the work they do: International Owl Centre, SPCA, Sage Foundation, Woodoc, Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital, and Hatch.”

The Owl Project helps estates and other institutes throughout Johannesburg provide a safe space for recovering owls in the lead-up to their being released back into the wild.

The best way to protect owls in your neighbourhood is to actively discourage the use of poisons and to find out which alternatives are available in your area.