A majestic white speckled snowy owl has been captured in Wirral.
The bird of prey, which gained popularity among owl breeders and owners thanks to Harry Potter's pet Hedwig, was found in the area on Monday, April 3. The owl is currently being looked after by the Independent Bird Register, a nationwide charity for stolen, lost and found birds.
IBR chairwoman Barbara Royle said: "The snowy owl was handed in on Monday, unfortunately we don't know exactly where on the Wirral it has come from. There's a possibility it has been released on purpose, because somebody may be struggling to look after it, or they can't afford the food for it. That's not for sure - it's only a possiblity. Either that, or it has escaped from its aviary. But it's very unusual that its owner hasn't come forward yet."
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The adult female owl, which is believed to have spent its whole life in captivity, was found wearing a ring, which the IBR used to successfully track down its breeder. However, its owner could not be traced as the bird had not been added to the register.
Barbara said: "It's a very comprehensive database, and I use a mapping system to plot the birds. We keep quite detailed figures for the number of birds in an area.
"Snow owls can be quite expensive, the females even moreso, and it is quite an unusual bird to be found, especially on the Wirral. It's obviously been captive-bred in this country, but I don't know where it has come from.
"In generally, we do get cases of birds that are released maliciously, whether it's by a disgruntled neighbour, people who are against aviaries, and sometimes people just release them because they can't afford to keep or feed them.
"This snowy owl, its instinct hadn't kicked in, and if it hadn't been picked up, it would've died. Just because it's a wild animal doesn't mean it has those instincts; if it's been hand-reared it's going to struggle in the wild, albeit I have known cases of birds whose instincts will kick in and they will survive. There's a pair of kookaburras living quite happily in the wild in Scotland.
"Hopefully we will find the owner, but if not, I do have someone willing to look after her, so she will go to a good home."
Anyone who believes they may be the rightful owner of the captured snowy owl is asked to contact the IBR with the bird's ring number and article 10 certificate.
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