Save Our Masked Owls

Margaret River is a hot-spot for the extraordinary and little-known Masked Owl. Donating to our campaign will help to establish the Margaret River region as a safe haven for owls and other wildlife that are being killed by uncontrolled use of lethal rodenticides. 

The majority of rat poisons sold freely at supermarkets, hardware and agricultural outlets contain chemicals that kill far more than their target. Masked Owls, Boobooks, Tawny Frogmouths and Magpies are poisoned by eating their baited prey. Other animals such as Ringtail Possums and household pets eat the bait directly. 

All donations to the campaign will go to NATURE CONSERVATION PUBLIC FUND to support the work of their Rodenticide Action Group. Every donation and share of this campaign will help. Thank you in advance for your contribution to this cause that means so much to us.

UPDATE
We reached our target of $2500! We're so happy and grateful for all of the support and feedback we have received in such a short time. Not only in donations but shares, likes and queries to help spread the word - so many Masked Warriors out there, it's very encouraging. So we have decided to keep the campaign open and here is more detail on where the fund will go:

What your GoFundMe contributions will achieve:

Here is the Rodenticide Action Group’s action plan.  A good example is getting the message out to visitors and residents this Christmas, as we did last year through a newspaper advertisement, social media and posters.

Awareness -  social and mainstream media including prominent ads, messaging on t-shirts, bumper stickers;
Outlets – get posters into outlets and then promote the champions willing to control distribution of the worst poisons;
Governance – support organisations such as Birdlife Australia lobby government and manufacturers;
Commercial pest control – contact the operators, promote the champions;
Science – continue to gather the evidence, with each liver analysis costing over $100
Education – engage through the Region’s schools
Treatment – prepare and distribute a support package for vets to identify wildlife at risk, signs of poisoning and means of treatment
Care and recovery – support for wildlife rehabilitation.

Please spread the word and get your friends to donate so we can reach our goal quickly and help save our Masked Owls and other precious wildlife! Your donation may be tax deductible.

See our website for more information and what you can do to help. Nature Conservation Margaret River Website  Photography by Steve Castan (estebanthenatureman)


Who We Are
The all-volunteer members of our rodenticide group (Masked Warriors), which operates as a Committee of Nature Conservation Margaret River Region, bring a range of skills to the campaign:

Dr Boyd Wykes - zoology, conservation management
Felicity Bradshaw - veterinary
Steve Castan - wildlife photography (aka estebanthenatureman )
Karen Majer - science communication
Tanya Edwards - artistic/graphic design (The Margaret River Trading Co )
Phil Pain - raptor rehabilitation (Eagles Heritage )
Josh Pain - hardware retail
Rusty Rouse - fundraising, citizen science 
Linda Moyle - wildlife rehabilitation

Save Our Masked Owls T-Shirts
If you're interested in purchasing a beautiful, organic and ethically-produced T-shirt designed by Margaret River artist Tanya Edwards and referenced from Steven Castan's photography, please email her on the Contact button below and we'll send you details when the T-shirts are ready.