Rescued baby owls get very apt nicknames after being rescued from Glastonbury

04 July 2023 , 15:24

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Two baby owls rescued from underneath the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury during rock band Guns N'Roses set have been given musically appropriate names.

The tiny owlets have been named Axl and Slash, after two of the ban's famous members, and to celebrate their unusual rescue.

The tiny birds are thought to have been abandoned after their parents made a nest in what would soon be the noisy main stage of the festival, and were rescued as the global music icons performed.

Baby owl Axl was discovered under the left staircase leading up to the stage as Axl Rose performed metres above their nest. Whereas Slash, was discovered the following day by the RSPCA’s West Hatch Wildlife centre.

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Baby owls Axl and Slash were found underneath Glastonbury's Pyramid stage

The tiny owlets were thought to have abandoned their nest due to being disturbed by Glastonbury festival last month

Both of the tiny owlets have been transferred to the Secret World Wildlife Rescue program’s aviary, and are now recovering from their first festival experience with plans for them to be released back into the wild soon.

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The wildlife rescue team said: "Both Axl and Slash are now in an outside aviary at Secret World and although a little camera shy are both doing well. No signs of them exhibiting their musical talent yet though."

The owlet's nest was thought to have been abandoned "due to the noise and disturbance" of the festival, but the owls are now happily settling into their new home.

David Plant, Fundraising Manager at SWWR, added: "When Guns N’ Roses were playing 'Welcome to the Jungle,' I’m sure they didn’t realise how close they actually were to wildlife!

Global rock icons Guns N' Roses were one of the headliners at this year's Glastonbury (PA)

"This is possibly the most unusual disturbance case we’ve heard about this year, but it just goes to show the importance of checking your surroundings for wildlife before any activity.

"The Pyramid Stage frame is left in place all year when Worthy Farm goes back to being a dairy farm.

“Clearly a pair of little owls thought it would be a great place to make a nest. They are a cavity-nesting species, favouring holes in old trees, but they have been recorded nesting in rabbit holes and take well to man-made nest boxes.

"Whether you’re renovating your garden, or setting up for the world’s biggest musical festival, our advice is always the same: if you’ve got materials or structures that have been in place for a while, please check them carefully before moving anything, as you may end up disturbing a nest.

"It looks like the parents sadly abandoned their nest once festival preparation began, so it’s difficult to say how long the chicks were left alone. We’re so grateful to the people who found and helped them; they must have been terrified after enduring almost 2 full days of loud music.

"We’re hopeful that they won’t be ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’ any time soon, and we’ll be making plans to return them to the wild once they’re old enough, so they’ll get their chance to experience some ‘November Rain’ later in the year."

There is also a call from the wildlife rescue team to help support the owls’ rehabilitation and eventual release, with people donating via the SWWR website.