Hong Kong’s Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden has recently had a happy addition to the nature conservation centre’s family. They announced via Instagram on May 24 that after four years, the Brown Wood Owl has bred again within the nature reserve.
This is a type of medium-sized owl found in south Asia, with a facial disc edged in white. They are more commonly found in India, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, and Taiwan, and are fairly rare in Hong Kong. It is a proud nod to the conservation efforts of Kadoorie Farm that these owls have chosen their site to nest.
However, ever since the announcement, crowds of birdwatchers have flocked to the premises to catch this wild baby owl in action. In a now-deleted Facebook post, Kadoorie Farm posted a series of photos of the owls staring down from the trees, along with a large group of photographers armed with huge cameras and lens kits. In order to maintain a peaceful habitat and to reduce stress for the birds and their young, the nature reserve has decided to temporarily cut off access to the road that leads to the owls’ nesting site.
“The owls attracted much interest among visitors and photographers, some of which could potentially disturb them [...] We also appreciate that some enthusiastic photographers must have been disappointed, but as a nature conservation institute, the well-being and protection of the animals and plants in our nature reserve has priority,” Kadoorie Farms stated on social media. On the Facebook post which is now no longer available, they also stated that staff have had to be on the lookout for visitors who might be using laser pointers or playing owl sounds in order to get nice photos.
It’s really best to leave the owl family to raise their new baby in peace. However, if this particular species is your bird of choice, the conservation centre reminds fans that they do house a captive Brown Wood Owl within their raptor sanctuary. Aptly named Woody, she was seized from an illegal animal trader by the police several years ago and has since lived in Kadoorie Farms since she is used to captivity and cannot be released into the wild.
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