nagpur :- 6 owls removed from house, 3 die of shock

At a time when serious concerns are being expressed about protection of owls, an NGO rescued six juvenile owls from a residence in Khamla on Monday. Three owls died due to shock while the remaining three were released in Gorewada forests. The owls were rescued from a deep loft on the first floor wall of a house owned by Shekhar Saraf, at Malviya Nagar, Khamla. The place from where the owls were removed is a good habitat and owls often use the 15-feet deep tunnel-like loft to breed. Saraf never thought that the owls would have to be removed.

However, a few days ago, the Sarafs suffered from skin infection due to irritation. It turned out that the infection was due to fleas found on the body of owls. "As the loft was above a window in one of my rooms, some fleas were being deposited in our home. When I contacted my birder friend Tarun Balpande, he confirmed the infection was due to flea bites. He suggested shifting the owls with the help of the forest department and CAC-All Rounder, an NGO engaged in promoting wildlife protection and adventure sports," Saraf said. On Monday morning, Amol Khante of CAC-All Rounder, and his team consisting of Bhavan Patel, Sachin Wankhede used climbers and mountaineering equipment to rescue the birds.

During the 45-minute operation, two owls, most probably the breeding pair, flew away while six juveniles were found inside the loft. "We swiftly lifted the birds to safety, but three young ones died of shock. The other three owls were released in the Gorewada forest on the directions of N Rambabu, conservator of forests for Nagpur Division," Khante said. This was the eighth such rescue operation by Khante. Saraf said, a year ago, five owls had been living at the same spot. "I had received an offer of Rs 1 lakh for each owl, but I rejected it since I did not want to harm them," he said. Balpande says barn owls are often victims of superstition and are frequently killed or hurt.

"Many use them as a symbol of luck, as there is a blind belief that owls help you find hidden treasures and lucky numbers played on 'satta' (gambling)," he said. Two years ago, owls were removed from a high-rise in Shyam Nagar, Somalwada, giving respite to 28 families suffering from infection due to fleas that breed on owls.