Rare owl bred in Hong Kong draws bird watchers, but venue restricts access
Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden closes part of its nature reserve to keep crowds of bird watchers at bay to protect young owl and its parents
A rare wild owl that was bred in Hong Kong has attracted scores of photography fans and bird watchers to the Kadoorie Farm and Botanic Garden, prompting the venue to close a part of the site to prevent visitors from getting too close to the animal.
Images circulating on social media showed crowds of enthusiasts jostling for position on a path in the farm’s nature reserve, pointing their long camera lenses toward the trees where the rare brown wood owl was nesting.
“To protect the birds, unfortunately, we have decided to temporarily close the road and prevent this disturbance to the young brown wood owl and his parents,” the farm wrote on its Facebook page on Saturday night.
The heightened interest followed the rare breeding of the birds in the reserve after four years. With distinctively deep and dark brown eyes, the species is native to Hong Kong, according to the farm’s website.
They are believed to have arrived in the city in the past two decades, probably as a result of a natural range expansion from Guangdong province in mainland China. They can also be found in South Asia and Southeast Asia.
A farm spokesman said on Sunday that birdwatchers with cameras began to show up in the couple of days after the first pictures of the owls were posted on social media a week ago.
The farm warned against using laser beams or owl hooters to attract the birds because they affected the natural behaviour of the birds. It decided to close the relevant road in the park to prevent disturbances.