Barn owl pops by PM Lee's office for a visit

AsiaOne 6 Oct 15;

SINGAPORE - Seems like even barn owls are taking refuge from the haze.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong snapped a photo of the bird at the Istana at around 12.48pm. The post has since gotten 25,183 likes on Facebook.

PM Lee wrote: "The owl came to visit us again today. Maybe he is taking shelter from the haze."



MP and parliamentary secretary Baey Yam Keng also posted a close-up shot of the barn owl on his social media pages on Monday, writing: "Happy to meet the famous Istana barn owl today". Mr Baey was at the Istana in the afternoon for the swearing-in ceremony for the four newly-appointed parliamentary secretaries.

Two years ago on Nov 20, a similar barn owl had flown into the building overnight. The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) and Jurong Bird Park were enlisted to help release it back into the wild.

PM Lee said in his posting then: "The Istana grounds are a green refuge for many species of birds and animals. We should preserve and create many such green spaces all over our island, so that in our urban environment we can enjoy the natural flora and fauna of Singapore."