Questions raised after barn owl is found dead at roost site in Louth

A barn owl has been found deceased at a roost site in Louth, with a local community group raising questions as to how the animal died. 

The barn owl was an adult male and only weighed 248 grams when he was discovered. There was no signs of obvious injuries, with barn owls being the most threatened species of owl in Ireland.

Taking to social media, a member of the Louth barn owl project, an initiative set up to identify sites that nest boxes could be hung up in to help the endangered species, spoke on the unfortunate news. 

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They said, "We are waiting to get the toxicology reports back. When there is an underweight adult, not found near a busy road with no obvious injuries, there is a lot of questions to ask ourselves. 

"Is it that he just couldn't hunt due to a prolonged spell of bad weather? Is it that there wasn't sufficient food in the area? Is it that he died from secondary poisoning? Was he an old barn owl, and it was his time?"

Eagerly awaiting the results, the project concluded their statement, saying, "Many thanks to our conservation ranger from NPWS for facilitating the toxicology exam."