If you’re looking for environmentally friendly and cost-effective forms of pest control, the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter encourages residents to learn more about neighborhood barn owls and owl nest boxes.
The shelter says Barn owls are an excellent form of natural pest control. And to prove it, on October 17, 2019, at 2 p.m., the Animal Shelter invites the community to attend an Owl Box Raising at the Shelter, 1001 Rodriguez St., in Santa Cruz.
A properly placed nest box will attract barn owls, with a barn owl family capable of consuming 4,000 rodents annually. The owl nest box and installation are being donated by Humane Wildlife Control, Inc., which will host a brief talk and Q & A about barn owls and poison-free rodent control before installing the box.
Environmentally friendly owl boxes replace the need for harmful chemicals like rodenticides, which have been linked to the deaths of bobcats, foxes, coyotes, hawks and more. Because rodents impacted by rodenticides often die slowly and become disoriented, they become easy prey and pass poison up the food chain.
