A barn owl is seen in Valletta, Malta, Aug. 30, 2020. Malta's Federation for Hunting and Conservation, a federation of hunters and trappers, is in the process of releasing some six barn owls grown in captivity as part of a project. They will soon begin the process of reintroducing this species which has been missing from the Maltese Islands for over two decades. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua)

 
Malta's Federation for Hunting and Conservation, a federation of hunters and trappers, is in the process of releasing some six barn owls grown in captivity as part of a project. They will soon begin the process of reintroducing this species which has been missing from the Maltese Islands for over two decades.

Project manager Lucas Micallef told Xinhua that the project, the first of its kind in Malta, follows similar examples from other European countries where birds of prey are bred and then released into the wild to delay their extinction.

He explained that the barn owl is considered an irregular migratory bird in Malta with only a few of them known to breed regularly on the Maltese islands. The last pair of barn owls bred in the wild dated all the way back to the 1980s, caused by their decrease in rural areas and illegal activities.

A barn owl flies in a cage where it is kept in Valletta, Malta, Aug. 30, 2020. Malta's Federation for Hunting and Conservation, a federation of hunters and trappers, is in the process of releasing some six barn owls grown in captivity as part of a project. They will soon begin the process of reintroducing this species which has been missing from the Maltese Islands for over two decades. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua)

 
Since then, many captive breeding enthusiasts, including several hunters and trappers, managed to breed and rear the barn owl in captivity, with some of them even trained for falconry activities.

Micallef said the project was originally conceived in 2009, but it was only in 2018 that the Federation for Hunting and Conservation actually obtained two pairs of a sub-species that migrated to Malta.

Through an accepted procedure known as hacking, the barn owls are bred and then released into the wild, with hopes that their offsprings will breed across the Maltese Islands. Micallef said the released birds will be monitored and observed by members of the federation who roam the Maltese countryside throughout the year.

Barn owls are seen in a cage in Valletta, Malta, Aug. 30, 2020. Malta's Federation for Hunting and Conservation, a federation of hunters and trappers, is in the process of releasing some six barn owls grown in captivity as part of a project. They will soon begin the process of reintroducing this species which has been missing from the Maltese Islands for over two decades. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua)

 
The barn owls are being bred at a renovated farmhouse originally built by the Knights of Malta in the 16th century.

According to Micallef, in order to minimize direct contact with the birds, activities within the facility are observed on CCTV. The barn owls are fed days-old chicks and mice.

"The re-establishment of the barn owl as a resident species will fill the missing ecological niche and contribute to Maltese biodiversity. The farmers should realize the real value of the barn owl in order to control the damage caused to their fields by rats and mice," explained Micallef. "It is estimated that a single barn owl family can kill about 1,300 rats and mice in a year."

Barn owls are seen in a cage in Valletta, Malta, Aug. 30, 2020. Malta's Federation for Hunting and Conservation, a federation of hunters and trappers, is in the process of releasing some six barn owls grown in captivity as part of a project. They will soon begin the process of reintroducing this species which has been missing from the Maltese Islands for over two decades. (Photo by Jonathan Borg/Xinhua)

 
Another objective of this project is to educate the public on the barn owl's biological circle of life. The public will be able to observe all activities in the aviaries through a CCTV system and live-streaming facilities.

"The general public's reactions, to date, towards this project, have been very positive," Micallef said, adding that many visits for schoolchildren have already been organized.

Micallef said the project will be deemed successful when the first offsprings are released and they return to the facilities for feeding. This will continue until 2021 or even later this year when they become totally independent and are able to hunt food on their own.

The project was partially sponsored by the government through the Wild Birds Conservation Fund.