Masked Owl - Nswfmpa.org

7 Handling and Transport7.1 Timing of Capture and HandlingThe best time to capture a masked owl is first thing in the morning before the park/zooopens and public arrive, the less people around enclosure the less stressful capture will befor staff and the owl. Catching masked owls in the morning can avoid heat and coldstress. Also if anything was to go wrong in the capture you will have all day to resolvethe issue.7.2 Catching BagsThe catching net on the left isthe preferred and mostrecommended catching net touse it made from breathablewashable material. The fabric isdark in colour (helps keepcaught bird calm) the rim ispadded with foam to preventinjury to birds during capture.Figure 7 bird catching nets/bags7.3 Capture and Restraint TechniquesMasked owl talons are sharp and the beak can also cause injury to keepers. PPE such aslong shirts, safety glasses and a hat may be worn to reduce injury. Welding gloves mayalso be worn but some keepers find them to be more of a nuisance than a benefit as thereis limited grip on the owl and limited hand movement for keepers.The use of chemical restraint should be limited to surgery apart from this it is notrecommended.HOW TO CAPTURE:Enter enclosure and observe the flight path of the owls if the owls are calm enough youmay be able to simply walk up to them and place capture net over body. Or you couldcatch the owl in flight by holding net in front of owl whilst in flight.Once owl is in capture net, fold the top of net over to stop owl escaping net.26