KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea – It was a hot sunny day for the tiny tuft of feathers seeking shelter under a stationary vehicle – its wings too small for flight, the owlet wouldn’t survive long on the ground and so close to the danger of bigger prey.
The oriental scops, a native bird to the Korean peninsula and a class two endangered species, was discovered near a hardened aircraft shelter on Kunsan Air Base, Republic of Korea, July 15, 2022. One of two kinds of owl observed at the Wolf Pack, including the Northern Boobook, this is the first time the 8th Civil Engineer Squadron pest management team has dealt with the tiny critter.
“The idea for entomology is that we're responsible for all plant life and animal life on base. Whether that means relocating, protecting, or managing, and that's kind of like where we come in,” said Senior Airman Jonathan Kerr, 8th CES entomology. “Part of our strategy is to live with the environment that we’re working in.”
Upon receiving the call, pest management specialists quickly arrived on the scene to an unexpected sight.
“It was the cutest thing I’d ever seen,” said Tech. Sgt. Luis Rafael, 8th CES pest management noncommissioned officer in charge. “He was wiggling his wings, trying to fly. But he couldn't because he was too young.”
After collecting the small bird from its hiding spot, it was taken to the pest management office where its endangered status was quickly revealed.
“We didn’t immediately know that the owl was an endangered species. It was only when the environmental flight informed us that we found out,” said Rafael. “We were quickly advised by them, after consulting with other local environmental specialists, that we should return the owl so that its mother could recover it.”
The owl was placed shortly after in a safer environment. The pest management flight checked on the owlet to see if the mother and child were safely reunited but it was no longer in the same location. The team believes either the mother has retrieved her child or it relocated to a different location.
“When it comes to animals, people think that we kill everything,” said Kerr. “But that’s not at all true; we are here to preserve and live within our environment. So if we ever catch an endangered species, then we will do everything we can to protect it.”
To report wild or endangered animals please contact the 8th CES pest management flight at DSN 782-5295.