Tavcor Volkswagen, in William Moffett Expressway, prides itself on being an environmentally friendly building, and welcomed the owls that moved into the building shortly after its completion in August 2013.
But over the past two weeks, the resident owl family has nearly been wiped out by poison set out by surrounding businesses, prompting Tavcor to seek the assistance of Arnold Slabbert, of the Urban Raptor Project (URP).
Tavcor service adviser Gary Angles, 36, said his staff had never seen any evidence of rodenticides keeping the premises clear of pests, but often saw proof of the owls doing the job.
“From time to time, we would find rat remains around the building, and very seldom saw any live rodents around,” he said.
“Since opening the new building we have used ‘green’ rodenticides, but having owls around seemed like the most natural alternative to poisons.
