The owls come from breeding in the Chomutov Zoo. For their release, a location in the place of pastures of the Napajedla-Pěnná stud farm in the Zlín region was chosen.
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Before release, the birds spent three weeks in an aviary located directly on the pastures.
“We equipped both little owls with small radios. They look like small backpacks, birds have them on their backs. We can regularly monitor their movement in a given locality. They also received ornithological circles, “said Kamil Čihák, chief zoologist at the Zlín Zoo.
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The first such return of owls to the wild took place in the Zlín Zoo in 2013. “It took place in the same area as this year’s, we then released five individuals bred in our zoo. Another followed three years later, when we released four birds, “added Kamil Čihák. At the point of release, the zoo has installed several nesting boxes, which are protected against the intrusion of predators, especially martens.
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Not even a hundred pairs
According to zoologists, there are less than a hundred pairs of barn owls in the Czech Republic. At the beginning of the last century, however, it was our most common owl, with a population of several thousand to tens of thousands of pairs. The most significant decrease of this kind occurred between 1985 and 2003, up to 60%. This trend did not stop in the following years.
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“The main reason is mainly big changes in the cultural landscape. The little owl is pleased with the varied composition of the landscape with pastures, mowed meadows and smaller fields, which allows the hunting of small prey. However, such areas are drastically declining, “Čihák explained.
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Another problem is predators, especially cats and martens, and the lack of suitable nesting sites.
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