“The animal was trapped by a falconer today,” the Purmerend city council said on Friday evening. “It’s in good health and is currently being kept in a temporary facility awaiting a transfer once a proper permanent home has been found,” it added. The large owl is suspected of a spate of mysterious attacks on citizens over the last year, prompting the city to advise evening strollers to arm themselves with umbrellas for protection against aerial assaults.
“The attacks were getting heavier,” the city said, adding: “Many people were afraid to go out of their homes.” As the owl is a protected animal, the city had to get special permission to trap the creature. Once that was granted, a falconer set out on a bird-hunt. In one of the many assaults, two members of a local athletics clubs were attacked last month, with one runner requiring stitches for six head wounds caused by the nocturnal bird of prey’s talons.
News video from before the owl was captured.
YouTube link.
Owl experts have said the bird’s behaviour was unusual, meaning it was either raised in captivity and associated humans with food, or had heightened hormone levels because of the start of the breeding season. The European eagle owl is one of the largest owl species, with a wingspan of up to 1.8 metres (almost six feet) and weighing up to 3kg. City council member Mario Hegger said he had mixed feelings about the owl’s capture. “On the one hand, you would of course rather leave such a magnificent beast alone,” he said. “But on the other hand, the situation could not continue. We had to do something.”
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