Who, who, who will help me fly again?

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KNYSNA NEWS – Shoppers strolling about Knysna Mall last Wednesday, 17 August, would have to be forgiven for doing a double-take and saying their names after being repeatedly asked "who?" by an unseen inquisitor.

It was only later revealed that the "queries'' were in fact emanating from an owl flying about the mall.

The beautiful African wood owl had somehow got stuck indoors and was fluttering about until it was eventually rescued, nursed back to peak fitness by members of Raptor Rescue and released in Pledge Nature Reserve on Sunday 21 August.

The team from Raptor Rescue believe that the owl, thought to be about three or four years old, entered the mall looking for lunch. "It was before the really bad storm weather rolled in, so he wouldn't have been hiding, but instead probably chased a rat into the mall," said Laura Fotheringham, Raptor Rescue co-owner.

PHOTO GALLERY: Owl spotted at Knysna Mall

Fotheringham said they received a few calls that morning alerting them to the stranded owl, so they immediately sprang into action for what looked set to be a challenging rescue effort.

"The owl had flown quite high up into the rafters of the mall," she said. "Usually this makes matters difficult as the owl can become stressed and agitated during rescue efforts. But, thankfully Mark [Robson] managed to catch it on the first attempt with the net, which made the process much easier."

The owl stretches its wings before flying off.

Fotheringham thanked and commended the Knysna Mall management for helping with the rescue.

"They provided us with a tall enough ladder to reach the owl and turned off the escalator, all of which helped so much," she said.

Chairman of the Lakes Bird Club, Pat Nurse, was quite surprised that the owl had found its way to the mall as they are not common in town or built-up areas.

"We really don't know where it could have come from, because wood owls are found in the forest, unlike more urban owls," she said. "I've seen them most in Lake Brenton, but definitely not town."

The owl bats his eyes before being laid down.

Wood owls' natural love for forests is what led to the choice of Pledge Nature Reserve as the release location, as it was reforested and grew back well after the 2017 Knysna Fires. "Because it's not too far from the mall and it's the right environment, we thought the owl might like it there, so we suggested they release it in Pledge," Nurse explained.

And so, on Sunday, once the worst of the weekend's stormy weather had abated, people involved in the rescue gathered in Pledge to see the owl off. After a few moments to gather its thoughts the owl took wing quickly, happy to be free again.

The group of people who witnessed the release of the owl. Photos: Blake Linder