TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — An eastern grass owl was released into the wild on Tuesday (April 9) after three months of care by the Institute of Wildlife Conservation at National Pingtung University of Science and Technology.

A pineapple farmer surnamed Lin (林) discovered the young owl trapped in Yanpu Township in January. He took the owl to the wildlife center, which found that the owl had a strained wing.

The owl slowly regained the use of its wing and fed itself on mice and rats, its main food source in the wild, per UDN.

According to the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), the eastern grass owl is a Category II rare and valuable species, with its numbers estimated to be less than 500 in Taiwan. Since 1991, MOA rewarded farmers for engaging in eco-friendly cultivation practices, which avoid the use of rat poison, herbicides, animal traps, or bird nets.

The number of farmers in the program has grown each year. Thirty-two applications were approved in 2022, and 48 applications were approved in 2023, with 68.65 hectares of land.

University researcher Hong Hsiao-yu (洪孝宇) said the eastern grass owl is found on plains farmland, and young grass owls encounter dangers lowering their survival rate, making every rescue important. 

Therefore, government cooperation with local farmers is vital for the survival of this precious owl population and the ecosystem.