Rats! No More, the Natural Way
Updated 5:15 PM CDT, Fri, Jan 9, 2009
When you think of owls, images of horror movies or Harry Potter may come to mind, but a unique nationwide program is trying to raise awareness on how vital the birds are to the environment .
"I came out to clean the building up and came in and, of course, was presented with a huge owl," said Jim Fox, of Frisco.
Fox said he was initially concerned about the owls but later learned they're environmentally a good sign.
Barn owls help control the rodent population, according to Bonnie Bradshaw with 911 Wildlife.
"A family of barn owls will consume up to 25 rats every night, " Bradshaw said.
Instead of putting out rat poison, it's better to attract the birds by installing a specially designed barn owl nest box, 911 Wildlife said.
"This is a crucial environmental issue, because it's the impact of having that poison out that then affects so many other animals and the animals that are best at reducing the rat population, " Bradshaw said.
The boxes work in urban and rural areas. But don't put them on houses, because owls tend to be noisy at night.
To read about the Hungry Owl Project, click here.
First Published: Jan 8, 2009 7:04 PM CDT
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