AN INTERNATIONAL charity is tackling an age old belief in parts of Zimbabwe – that the sighting of an owl or the sound of its hoot is a harbinger of bad luck, ill health, or death.

Birdline International, through its Zimbabwe chapter, is launching a campaign in schools across the country – hoping to change the public’s view of the much-loathed bird.

Rueben Njolomole, BirdLife Zimbabwe’s Education Officer said: “There are a lot of myths around owls which are mostly, if not all, untrue.

“At the end of our schools campaign, we hope that children will see owls as friendly birds. There is certainly value in having an owl near your home as owls can eat thousands of rodents each year, reducing the need for other methods of control.”

Birdlife Zimbabwe officials were shocked when they conducted initial surveys at schools to find out what pupils thought of owls.

“At first, many pupils indicated that owls were associated with bad luck and witchcraft,” Njolomole said. “However, by the end of our lessons the children realise that owls can help to reduce problems caused by rats at home. It’s great to hear that from the kids.”

Take the case of the Chitofu family living in the Harare neighbourhood of Eastlea. They feared they had been bewitched by an owl which had haunted them for four months and refused to fly away when approached.

In most cultures in Zimbabwe -- as in many parts of the world -- owls are an unwelcome sight, a reputation earned largely by their deathly look and predominately nocturnal activity and screeching-type calls.

Worried for their lives, the Chitofu family called in BirdLife Zimbabwe staff who identified the bird as a White-faced Scops-owl or Otus leucotis.

Njolomole said: “The father of the family was very scared and did not want to go anywhere near the tree where the owl was perched.

“But I assured the family that the bird was probably just hunting rats found nearby, and this is why it did not fly away when approached. The owl did not want to leave the source of its food, and may have been a domesticated owl which had escaped because it was not scared of humans.”

Realising the strong negative folklore surrounding owls within the country, BirdLife Zimbabwe staff are now visiting local schools to educate children about the benefits which the birds can bring.

BirdLife Zimbabwe are also developing a proposal to produce a documentary that will be aired on national television to demystify the owls.

“If the proposal gets funding, we expect to produce a thirty-minute long documentary before the end of the year,” Njolomole said.