Owls brought in to kill rats in township being tortured and killed

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 Owl Rescue says birds released in Alexandra to fight a rat infestation are being decapitated because people are afraid of them.

Director, Brendan Murrary, says they've received ongoing complaints like that from a lot of the informal areas.

He says a case of animal cruelty had been opened with the National Council of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA).

Murray said it was trying to stop the city from releasing more owls in Alexandra.

In September, the City of Johannesburg said it included barn owls in a R2.5 million plan to fight the rat infestation.