Owl family in tree including 2 cute babies draw crowds in Telok Blangah: 'Please give us some space'

It seemed everyone wanted a picture.

Crowds started flocking to a tree near Block 28 Telok Blangah Rise on May 5 for a rare sight.

A family of owls were ensconced in the hollow of the tree beside a bus stop.

Sharing a video of one of the baby birds as well as the gathered humans, Stomper Jimmy said: "Passing by, I saw many people with professional cameras. Upon asking, they said they were camping there to take photos of the Sunda scops owl."

Photos and videos of the owls flooded the Facebook group Singapore Wildlife Sightings with the pair of cute owlets getting the most attention.

On May 7, a member of the group posted that the National Parks Board had placed signage and several safety cones in the area due to the crowds.

Some lamented the human invasion with one Facebook user commenting: "What an embarrassment. Encroaching into the space of these animals for the sake of a few good shots."

On the same day, the Animal Concerns Research and Education Society (Acres) shared on social media a photo of Whispers the baby owl and a plea to give the birds some space.

"Meet Whisper, a young scops owl who was grounded in a nature space a night ago, and had to be reunited with his/her parents by our rescue team using a telescopic pole," said Acres in the post.

"Whisper wants to whisper [screech] a message to everyone: 'Please give us some space!'

"While it's incredibly tempting to capture those enchanting moments of wild owls in our urban jungle, their peace and quiet is very important when they are at a crucial phase of parenting – when the baby owls fledge and leave their nest.

"Approaching a wild owl's family, especially during these moments, can put their well-being at risk – when they take those important steps to learn from their parents to fly, to feed and hunt!"

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by ACRES (@eyesofacres)