Broughty Ferry’s newest celebrity has been propelled into national fame after an article in The Courier.
Since we reported on 14-month-old barn owl Moonstone she has been recognised everywhere she goes, and our video of her lapping up the attention has attracted hundreds of views.
A regular outside Caffe Nero, many of Broughty Ferry’s residents have been flocking to see her after reading her story.
Her owners, Mark Dickey and Steph Chan, who rehomed rescued Moonstone, have been surprised by the attention she has received after making her debut.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=aHx5QWTn7sI%3Frel%3D0
Steph said: “It has all been crazy. She’s an owl. I don’t see anything unusual about having her but she seems to be popular.
“We’ve had a really positive response and lot of people have recognised her from the article in the paper.
“We also seem to be inundated with photographers. She’s definitely been on top form for the cameras but after three hours she started to get a bit bored.
“One photographer asked if she could do anything amazing and I said, ‘no, she’s an owl.’ She doesn’t do anything amazing. She just owls about but seems to melt people’s hearts.”
The main thing the couple hope to achieve through Moonstone’s 15 minutes of fame is to highlight responsible pet ownership.
Despite what many people believe after watching films like Harry Potter, owls are not caged birds.
Moonstone rules the roost at home from her tree truck perch in the living room, is fed on a diet of dead mice and chicks and also has plenty of opportunity to fly around the couple’s garden every day.
Steph said: “Having an owl is not a small commitment. She runs our life.
“It wasn’t like we went out to buy an owl as a pet. We were contacted by a friend at a rescue centre asking if we could give her a home and we just fell in love with her.
“I would love to see falconry available to all not the past time of the elite.”
Moonstone also has her own Facebook page and people who are interested in finding out more about rescuing owls can contact the couple through her page.Broughty Ferry cheeseburger magnate Bob Servant is not happy about being knocked off his perch by Moonstone. Read his angry reaction to the bird’s new-found fame only in Saturday’s Courier.