New Guest. NOT called “Powell”

We have a new guest at the farm house.

He arrived yesterday evening before it was dark. Moses carried him inside in a rusty old oil can, covered with a lump of scrappy board and was extremely scared when he laid the packaged guest on our lounge floor.

Moses rapidly withdrew to the safety of the braai room..looking white eyed through the windows and braced ready to run.

“What is it Moses? A snake?..” I asked feeling rather concerned.

“No Missus..No snake..” and he held his hands up to his face as if it were some far more unpleasant monster.

As Big was still playing on the play station, I took the bull by the horns and lifted the oil drum.

There cowering underneath was a stunningly beautiful baby owl.

“How beautiful is he!” I shouted and Moses had backed away to the far end of the wall, convinced he was about to be mauled.

“No Missus..He NO beautiful.” Moses shouted from the depths of the adjacent room.

WE all flew into action, Bees old wooden box was brought into the braai room from the garage [after first checking for snakes!], and while we were adding logs and making it habitable, Big gave it water from a syringe [wearing leather gloves as this owl has HUGE talons!]

The story is that the little boys on the campong knew of a pair of baby owls being watched over by their parents, they attacked the nest during the day, one baby died and the other was injured. At which point Smally [Moses son] happened along and told them that Bossy had banned anyone from killing an owl on his land and that they should get Moses. Hence the apparition of Moses quaking from head to toe with the owl filled oil drum.You may recall our "owl incident" last year when Moses had explained that an Owls is a portent of "Death" in his culture, besides which, they also eat his chicks!

Once again we are in a huge dilemma, the owlet is unable to support himself, not because he is too small [nope..he’s rather large] but his leg appears to be damaged.
We should simply put him back at the site where he and his poor sibling were attacked, but as sure as eggs is eggs, he will be killed or will not survive.

The option is to try and get him better and then return him to the wild. At the moment he stares furiously at us with his huge orange eyes, clacking his large beak and making himself unstable by flapping his wings. I have tried feeding him minced chicken but he is not interested at the moment.

Will keep you all updated... I have decided NOT to name him this time, as my hope is that we can let him go in due course....but I was tempted by “POWELL”

http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/6e4RPTJFevxVR7-kam0xFNmud4y_y5bjkg2eqb-uDyI?feat=directlink  Apologies my computer is playing up..but if you follow this link you should get to the picture.