Another “terror owl” attacking Dutch town

Another owl is causing havoc in the Netherlands. Over the past week a number of residents of the Gelderland town of Twello reported an eagle owl flying at their heads, AD reports.

It is not clear whether the owl in Twello is a wild or domestic animal. Every year between 20 and 35 owls escape captivity in the Netherlands. This eagle owl is one of only two known to be in the Gelderland region. The other is in Winterswijk.

Last year residents of Purmerend also had to deal with an aggressive eagle owl attacking joggers. The municipality advised people take an umbrella with them when they go for a walk. Special anti-owl head gear was also handed out.

The Purmerend owl was eventually caught and transferred to a bird sanctuary. The bird will spend the rest of its life in captivity, the municipality of Purmerend wrote to the city council in November. Researchers determined that there is a very good chance that he will exhibit the same aggressive behavior if he was released. Therefore "release is by no means an option", the municipality wrote.