Nadia Romanos chats to conservation power couple, Brendan and Danelle Murray, about their local reality TV series, Owl Rescue SA. The series shines a light on the incredible work that is done by Owl Rescue Centre, a non-profit conservation organisation in South Africa.

 

With the rapid rise of urbanisation throughout South Africa, and especially in Johannesburg and its surrounds, the relationship between owls and humans has become volatile. In the show, misunderstood animals such as owls, and other wild creatures, find themselves in life-threatening and precarious situations, and in desperate need of a helping hand when their habitats overlap with those of humans. 

 

Owl Rescue Centre, founded and run by husband and wife Brendan and Danelle Murray, aims to rescue and rehabilitate owls that fall victim to these situations; whether it’s a spotted eagle owl trapped in a toilet paper factory, baby barn owls that need to be relocated from a cell phone tower, or simply caring for and rearing of orphaned fledglings that have lost their parents as victims of persecution, through the ignorance of cultural beliefs. 

 

The series premiered on BBC Earth in March 2023 and is currently available on DSTV Catch Up. WHO!