At least a few hundred photographers have lugged several hundred thousand dollars of equipment to Pasir Ris Park over the past few days to stand under a tree day and night as part of their hobby.
This was carried out consistently to the complete befuddlement of the juvenile spotted wood owl they went to shoot.
Owl looking down at its human subjects via Thomas Suwa.
A video put up by one witness at the park showed the juvenile owl inspecting the scene of several dozen people dressed up as ramblers and holding up gadgets that cost as much as a small CC car from its vantage point up in the tree and not giving a hoot.
via Thomas Suwa
Habit of falling down
It turns out the owl, which is critically endangered in Singapore and the cause of the spectacle, has a habit of standing in the tree and falling down, and returning to the tree to fall down again.
The fledgling owlet fell to the ground beside the foot of a large tree on April 28 evening, while learning how to fly.
The juvenile owl tried to make its way back up the tree but was too weak or feeble.
A personnel from the Animal Concerns Research & Education Society (Acres) was later called in to help with the situation.
All these occurred as photographers closed in to get a better shot of the fallen owl, while its parents looked on from a higher perch and hooted.
Representatives from the National Parks Board eventually arrived at the scene to fence off the area after the owlet found a nesting place on a lower branch.
NParks also apparently told the spectators to move about 20m away from the scene.
Fell down again
The same owl fell down again on May 1.
via Jasmine Ee
One Facebook post by a photographer claimed the owl fell from as high as four floors.
However, three days after it required human assistance to get back onto the tree, the owl was this time seen to slowly climb its way back up via the tree trunk, while pausing along the way to rest.
It eventually made it back up unassisted, signalling a milestone in its existence.
via Jasmine Ee
Top photo via