Brendan Murray with the ‘owl deposit’ in the bank.

Although the Owl Rescue Centre in Hartbeespoort has had strange rescues in the past, rescuing an owl used as a deposit to open a bank account was a first!
Staff members at a bank in Westonaria were at a loss when a client walked in with a live barn owl, wanting to use the bird as a deposit.
“We were called by the bank last week with a request to fetch an owl. When we got there we were told a man walked in, at first trying to sell the owl for a few hundred rands. When no one would buy it, he wanted to put it down as a deposit to open an account. When the bank refused, he wanted to leave with the owl, but the staff felt obligated to save it and called us,” said Brendan Murray of the Owl Rescue Centre.
“After collecting the owl, I saw a muti shop behind the bank and enquired whether the man had tried to sell it to them. They confirmed it, saying that they don’t buy live animals and refused to take the owl. The man then approached the bank. Not our strangest rescue, but definitely a first.”
The owl is now safe at the sanctuary and will be looked after until it is ready to be released.