MPSJ and its project partner, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), have still not provided any data to proof that the project has made any impact in decreasing the rat population in the Subang Jaya area.
Asked about the success rate, UPM professor Dr Hafidzi Noor said that they can only estimate how many rats are caught based on the owls feeding habits.
“The owls are fitted with a tracker and we are monitoring the bird’s movements. We had tracked one female owl for 16 nights and it recorded 40 different locations.
“If the owl stays within a certain radius then it’s a good indication that there is food there.
“We have also photographed the owl feeding on a rat,” he told reporters after launching the Barn Owl public awareness programme today.
Hafidzi said that on average an owl will consume two medium size rats a night.
“If the owls are breeding and have to provide for five or more hatchlings, then the male owl will have to look for more rodents.
“Sometimes during the breeding season which happens three times a year, the male owl can catch up to 10 rats a night.”
Hafidzi said that the next phase is to help the owls establish nesting grounds and start the breeding process.
“We will be placing fiberglass nests at certain locations around Subang Jaya. Once the owls multiply then the birds need to find more rodents to feed their offspring’s.”
Hafidzi said that five more pairs of owls are expected to be released into the urban population next month.
“We have released eight pairs of owls since early this year, with one causality.
“To date we have only spent RM30,000, which is a quarter of our initial funding that we had received from MPSJ and the private sector.
Hafidzi also said that they are not worried that the owls will go missing.
“We are tracking the owls and once the owls mate, they are partners for life. The male owl will always come back to its partner.”