In the beginning of 2008 a Fraser’s eagle owl (Bubo poensis) was brought to the LWC. He had been attacked by children who had thrown stones at him. As a result his left eye was seriously injured and he could not be released back to the wild. In order to give the owl as much freedom as possible, we have began a training program for the owl. Fraser, as we call the owl, now flies completely free and comes back to the trainer’s hand with the help of some meat.
Owls are considered witches in Cameroonian culture, causing all kinds of bad luck, which is why people don’t hesitate to kill them if they have the chance. Therefore we have created an education activity around Fraser’s daily flying, explaining the visitors about the owl’s behaviour and characteristics. We hope that through Fraser’s plight other owls and birds will not be harmed by ignorance and suspicion.