COIMBATORE: Four barn owls (Tyto alba) maintained at an aviary recuperation centre owned by the Coimbatore forest division in the city were released into their natural habitat as part of World Wildlife Day on Friday.
The owls were rescued by forest officials when they were nestlings from an apartment in Singanallur. From there, they were taken to the recuperation centre functioning near the office of the District Forest Officer (DFO) and taken care of with the help of Animal Rescuers, an NGO, for the past three months.
DFO, TK Ashok Kumar, decided to release the birds after they started feeding on their own and learnt to fly.
According to sources, a three-month-old adult owl eats between 300 and 500 grams of mixed meat every day. Besides the meat, supplements to boost calcium, vitamins and minerals were also given.
Vinny Peter of Animal Rescuers said barn owls play an important role in controlling rodents in urban areas and they are nocturnal birds. As summer has started in the State, Vinny appeals to the public to provide birds and animals water.
She urges house owners to not destroy nests on their properties for any reason. They could call the forest department for guidance to take care of the birds nesting on their property.
The DFO said their rapid response team (RRT) has been getting many calls to rescue parakeets, black kites, peafowl, etc. The rescued birds are being maintained at the aviary recuperation centre.