Up to 800 owls are saved every year by the Owl Rescue Centre – a non-profit, registered rehabilitation facility that is dedicated to the protection of owls in South Africa. The centre is based in Hartbeespoort in the North West Province, where once rehabilitated, the owls get released on a nearby farm situated in a 12,000-hectare protected conservancy.
The Rescue Centre was birthed 10 years ago when Brendan and his wife Danelle Murray became aware of the rapid decline in owl numbers and that owls were becoming one of the most common wildlife casualties seen in veterinary practices.
In addition to saving owls, Owl Rescue Centre is involved in ongoing owl conservation projects, such as educating people on the important role that owls play in the eco-system, such as keeping the rodent population under control and dispelling myths and misperceptions about owls. The Murrays have taken their concern for owls and the environment further with a practical solution to plastic pollution that also benefits the owls, thanks to their 7-year-old daughter Rebecca.
Left: Southern white-faced scops-owl Right: Brendan Murray with a Spotted Eagle Owl. Images: supplied
Rebecca propelled them to pioneer a plastic recycling drive to help prevent plastic waste from landing up in the ocean. “After Rebecca watched a program on what happens to marine life because of plastic straws, she started refusing them whenever offered. She made a concerted effort to change her consumer behaviour. We realised that if a 7-year-old can make an effort to keep our environment clean, then so can everyone else.”
Brendan researched methods of plastic recycling and came up with a way that the Centre can manufacture its conservation products, like owl houses, bat houses and beehives, which were previously made from wood, out of recycled plastic instead.
The beehives specifically encourage the conservation of bees and are not designed for the harvesting of honey. The idea, a first of its kind in South Africa, not only provides a solution for the massive amounts of plastic waste, but these products are exceptionally durable.
Although the wooden owl houses work very well, wood deteriorates over time and often needs replacing. “The plastic owl houses will benefit many generations of owls hundreds of years from now,” Brendan explains. “We fill two needs with one deed,” Danelle adds. Erecting an owl house provides a safe breeding spot for these owls where they can lay their eggs and rear their young. “We have seen a great increase in the owl population since the onset of our Owl House Project.
To make the owl houses, plastic bottles are granulated into a workable product, which is then put through an extruder that melts the plastic to be pressed into moulds.
A number of schools, individuals and companies are already collecting their plastic bottles and containers to aid Owl Rescue Centre’s project, but the Murrays are also appealing to corporate institutions to join forces with Owl Rescue Centre by offering financial support to help this project succeed.
The centre has already recycled 800 tons of plastic since the onset of this project in January 2018. To find out more about Owl Rescue Centre, visit owlrescuecentre.org.za or follow them on Facebook.
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