The Bhitarkanika National Park officials have rescued an endangered barn owl, a scheduled animal under the Wildlife Act, from a place of worship at a village in Odisha’s Kendrapara district.
Forest personnel swung into action after receiving a report that superstitious local residents of Balipapala village within the limits of Mahakalpada police station had held the owl captive in the temple precincts.
“The residents thought the bird was sacred and brought luck and prosperity for the village. Devotees had also begun offering puja to the bird. We rescued the bird from captivity yesterday. Later it was released in the nearby forest area after veterinary surgeons found it in perfect health,” Mahakalpada Forest Range Officer Bijoy Parida said.
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He said the barn, owl which had whitish patches over its body, was a protected species under schedule 3 of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.