9mo ago

Do you have any more of these in the back? Can you check anyway?

This sneaky little lady has been living inside a Shoprite store in Thokoza for the last few weeks. She was a difficult customer, had all her hiding spots well mapped out, just in case some owl rescuers came knocking. That's Jacob in the photo, he's their security gent who offered a great deal of help in rescuing her. We don't often tag company rescues anymore, but we know Shoprite South Africa loves owls

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"Unhand me, land dweller! How dare you?"
Probably the howl l, which does not seem very happy about the situation.
- "Can you believe they don't even carry fresh shrew in this store???
  I told you we should have stopped at Vole Foods instead..."
  
  "Get me the complaints book!"
Uhhh I think we had some in on the last truck but I can’t remember let me go check
- "We're out of Barn Owl, but we just got in some nice Marsh Owl."
  "Sorry, I only like the ones without horns, but thanks anyway."
I remember this guy - this is South Africa, right?
Good ~~man~~ men at work there.
- Yup, him and his wife go all over the place, driving or flying hours to bring these animals back to fix up. They're really living the dream! They seem like really great people having a great time doing what they love, so I always enjoy seeing them pop up in the feed.
- I think Men At Work is Australian, not South African.
How has he still all his fingers?
- Most animals will try to avoid fighting whenever possible. If they don't feel in danger, they will click their beak or puff up like a cat, but fighting is generally a last resort, as if they are hurt, they won't be able to hunt and won't survive. The risk is generally too high, so getting away is a much better option whenever possible. Once this guy is grabbed and sees the man isn't going to eat him, it's still unhappy, but it's not going to be as fearful.
  I don't have any actual stats on bite strength, but owls' primary weapons are their feet. The feet are much more powerful and have those razor sharp talons. By securing the feet, he's taking away the biggest immediate danger to himself. It also minimizes the movement the owl can do, keeping it from hurting itself.
  
  I just took a look at the burrito owl video again. It's mostly talons and just a bit of nibbling. :)
  Thanks for the info.
- Do they not go after your fingers? I know chickens chill out after you grab them.
  
  I replied to the person above you, but most animals won't fight unless they have to. Like the chicken, after the inital grab and it sees you're not going to eat it, it calms down a bit. It would still want to be anywhere else, but they seem to know there's less chance of being hurt if it's cooperative. I'm sure if he was moving rapidly or suddenly, the bird would flip out, but if he's slow and predictable, it defuses the situation a bit.

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