Muvattupuzha: Two barn owls trapped for days in the mesh of a residential apartment in Kakkanad were finally freed, thanks to the daring efforts of animal welfare volunteers.

While Forest Department officials were present only to offer advice and then leave, it was volunteers from Daya, an animal welfare organisation in Muvattupuzha, who risked their lives to carry out the heroic rescue. The owls had been caught in the safety netting inside the beams at the top section of the `Confident Capella' flats in Kakkanad. With no way to fly out, the birds remained trapped in the area for several days.

During this time, the residents here also witnessed a remarkable sight of other owls visiting at night to bring food through the mesh to their trapped companions.

Residents had approached the Forest Department for help, but the initial response suggested they catch and release the birds themselves at night. Later, following intervention by the Ernakulam Assistant Conservator of Forests (ACF), a team arrived, but they merely looked up from below, offered some instructions and left without taking any practical action.

With the Forest Department backing out, Ambili Puraykkal and Vishnu Viswanath from Daya stepped in. Vishnu climbed onto a narrow parapet 20 feet high, which is just wide enough for one person and cut through the nets. Once a clear path was made, the first owl flew to freedom. The second owl, however, was immediately attacked by a hawk mid-flight. To evade the predator, it clung to the wall of a nearby building, from where the Daya volunteers captured it tactfully. By evening, the second owl was safely released into a forested area.