PHOTO: Michelle Dennis
WHEN environmentally conscious company, Lafarge Readymix in Alton, Richards Bay discovered that a mother spotted eagle owl had made her nest in one of its bins, the staff monitored the situation, removed the three owlets and gave them to Zululand Wildcare Centre in Arboretum to be cared for.
‘One of our bins has not been in use since last year and the mother owl chose to nest and lay her eggs in it – a temporary, safe, above-the ground haven for them,’ said Lafarge Readymix’s District Sales Manager, Dylon Naidoo.
‘The guys spotted the mother owl and the eggs in the nest. We kept an eye on her and after the eggs hatched, decided to remove the babies to safety.’
With help from ER Engineering, who made sure it was safe for the men to get to the nest via walkways and extended ladders, and Hans van Koets from Zero Ohms, who had a basket to transport them, the owlets were safely removed and taken to their new home in Arboretum.
‘We are monitoring the bins and roofs for more nests as owls tend to return to the same place to lay eggs,’ Naidoo said.
At the Zululand Wildcare Centre, run by animal lovers Jaco and Tanya Delport, the six-week-old owls were placed in a cage.
‘The owls were in good condition,’ said Jaco. ‘They are have grown to be healthy ‘teenagers’ now and will soon be ready to be released. We have a resident owl I raised from a chick, and he will look after these owls with his own brood.’
Zululand Wildcare Centre was established more than 25 years ago and has been run by the Delports for the past 14 years. They take in wild animals who have been hurt or abandoned and need a safe place to recuperate.
Contact the Delports on 035 7895500 or 082 4911735.
