L’Oréal believes the installation of suitably placed owl boxes, will allow for the establishment of a breeding population of spotted-eagle owls who live and hunt within the Sandton area. The Owl Box project has introduced two Spotted Eagle Owl chicks to specially built owl boxes at L’Oréal where staff will take on the responsibility of caring for the owlets during the nurturing and fledging period, before they are released to live and breed freely in the area. ”As the world’s leading beauty company, L’Oréal is committed to be an authentic example in terms of sustainable development,” says L’Oréal South Africa’s Managing Director, Philippe Raffray. “We are also committed to a safe and healthy workplace and the introduction of these owlets will help us with these objectives”, he continued. Sandton’s large rodent population has proved to be a great challenge for companies and residents in the area.Annually corporate companies and residents in the Sandton area spend thousands of rands on rodenticides to manage the rodents but the Owl Release programme provides a sustainable and environmentally responsible solution to managing this challenge. Raffray says this initiative is in line with L’Oréal’s global strategy “to reduce our environmental impact through greater eco-efficiency. He says, “Despite the company’s global growth in output, we have managed to make absolute reductions in energy, water and waste along with significant improvements in eco-efficiency”. Visit www.loreal.com for more information. L’Oréal also sponsored an Owl Release programme at the nearby Sandtonview School in Bramley, following a request from the school principal and HOD. Raffray says the decision to sponsor the owl release programme at the Sandtonview School is aimed at fostering an appreciation of owls and their conservation among the school children at a young age.“Most of our learners are from previously disadvantaged environments and we feel privileged to be able to expose them to this special programme”, says Mrs Marianne Kernes, Principal of Sandtonview School.
“We hope to engender in them sensitivity and an understanding of the importance of owls in our environment. We would really like to thank our sponsors, L’Oréal, for affording us this opportunity.” “We are delighted that L’Oréal is embracing the ‘Owl Wise’ concept in this way” says Jonathan Haw, MD of EcoSolutions, the organisation which helms the Owl box Project. “In many cultures and in Africa in particular, the owl has a dreadful and undeserved reputation and only through education can this be corrected. It is crucial, therefore, that the private sector becomes more involved and enables those who live in communities that can best benefit from the presence of owls to have access to the education programmes such as this one.”  The Owl Box Project conducted an education programme at Sandtonview School which involved an initial talk to the school children and teachers; the construction and installation of the owl box, and finally the release of the young owls into the area.