Birding enthusiasts rescue owl.

Byline: Shazia Hasan

KARACHI -- A group of birding enthusiasts rescued an owl that had been captured in a plastic shopping bag by someone here on Friday.

'It is a beautiful young barn owl,' said banker-turned-birdwatcher and wildlife photographer Mirza Naim Beg, who some years ago started a Facebook group by the name of 'Wildlife with Dream Merchants', which has over a thousand members now, who remain in touch regarding anything of common interest.

An active group member, Zeenat Bayat, had got a call from her cousin that an owl was captured by a chowkidar (security guard) and that he was keeping it in a shopping bag.

'She rushed to the place and informed me. The man had to be warned that they were going to report him to a wildlife official if he refused to turn the bird over. Then after recovering the captive bird from the man, Zeenat brought the owl to me in a cardboard carton,' Beg told Dawn.

'The guard had captured the owl from the Cantonment Railway Station area, where there happen to be some very [old] houses and buildings and big old trees. Zeenat's cousin, who also resides in the area, said that they do hear owls hooting during the night,' he said.

'Owls are night...