An intensive rescue operation took place at the TC Newman Hospital in Paarl East on Monday, and not for one of their patients, but for a family of baby barn owls.
The operation occurred in the old boiler room of the hospital which has recently been converted into the Emporium of Care for the treatment and counselling of HIV patients.
Dr Nelis Grobbelaar who heads this unit, said that once the unused boiler room was renovated for its new purpose, they were left with the problem of barn owls who had nested in an old extraction pipe attached to the ceiling.
Although they do not have any problems with the presence of the owls, there was however a problem with the large amounts of waste that they had been excreting all over the emporium.
“I could have chosen an easy route and just closed the window through which the owls fly to the nest. But this would have resulted in the death of the youngsters and our problem would literally have been eliminated.
“I chose life and wanted to give this family a chance for the future.
“Often with victims of HIV, they are also not given a chance by the community to continue with their lives and are branded as outcasts.
“But here at the Emporium of Care we are giving back hope to HIV sufferers and a chance for life. We are treating 220 children and they are now living a normal life, as well as attending school.
“Four years ago they would not have stood a chance and many of them would already have died.“
Thus Dr Grobbelaar involved learners of Paarl Boys’ Primary School to become involved in the owl rescue project and by doing so combine this with the plight of those living with HIV.
The group of boys were so keen to learn more about the owls that they even spent an evening at the emporium to watch these nocturnal birds of prey when they became active.
Their research into this project was also included into their year’s curriculum.
Evict
On Monday, the time had arrived to evict the baby birds and relocate them to an owlhouse which had been placed on the roof of the building. The assistance of the fire department was called in and the whole operation was performed under the watchful eye of Elize Kemp from the `Tevrede’ owl rehabilitation centre in Tulbagh, to see that no harm came to the birds.
Firemen daringly balanced on a ladder at a height of ten metres to try and capture the babies in the pipe, but the closer they came, the deeper they moved into it.
Later a swimming pool scoop-net was used to try and get them out.
It was a long, difficult process before the first furry baby owl was extracted from the pipe and the other three followed shortly. Their arrival was hailed by the boisterous cheering and clapping of the boys who couldn’t wait to catch a glimpse of them.
Furry
The three furry creatures did not seem too happy to have been removed from their home, but all agree that in the long term it was for their own good. Once in their new home, their parents will hear their calls and continue to look after them.
“Traditionally the owl has been a symbol of death, but now it is our symbol of hope and life. Hopefully this message of life will now spread and the public can realise that a person living with the HIV virus is as normal as you and me and the baby owls which we rescued. They a
