Alfonso’s American Debut

After surviving a long night of hunting in the kitchen area of the Macramé Owl Sanctuary for all things sweet, scrumptious and caffeinated, Alfonso was slightly exhausted this morning.

Yesterday was such an exciting day for Alfonso. After being woken up from his usual daytime sleep-a-thon at the unearthly hour of 2pm (UK time), Alfonso was asked to dress up in his most luxurious and colourful Owloween bow tie. He was to appear along with his contemporaries on “Good Day Sacramento” for their Halloween Weekend Special with Cody Stark and Amy Carraba.

Rosemary, Alfonso and Sherman nervously wait in the ‘green room’ prior to going live on air via Skype.

Unfortunately, Alfonso was also to appear with the three, slightly weird sanctuary workers, Annie, Zoë and Viv.

In Alfonso’s words “those three cookie gals get in on everything and ride on the back of my up and coming fame”. With this, Alfonso stuck his beak in the air and stayed that way for the remainder of the afternoon.

It has been noticed that he is developing a real attitude of late with all the fame, photographs and celebrity status that is a-knocking at his door! Alfonso was not impressed that jaundiced Skippy muscled in on the action. But that’s life, and Alfonso has to concede that poor Skippy has been through the mill and back since his rescue. Skippy really looks up to Alfonso as well. So eventually, Alfonso forgave Skippy’s impromptu entrance onto the silver screen.

Alfonso went straight back to his perch after his American television debut. He was absolutely exhausted and decided that a feed of delicious fruity jam preserves, a beakful of cookies, and a steaming cappuccino was the order of the day.

Following his feast, Alfonso settled down for a long, deep sleep and hoped he would dream about the most exciting night to follow – “Owloween” – the night when Macramé Owls gather and feast on amazing fare and reminisce about days gone by, cheese fondues, and cool Kaftans – Owlsome!

As the trio prepare to go out trick-or-treating, Skippy hams it up by playing dead zombie in the Halloween treat bowl!

♥ ♥ ♥

Click here to watch Macrame Owl’s interview on Goodday Sacramento. If you’re in the USA and would like to donate Macrame Owls to the Sanctuary, you can send them to the station care of:

“Cody Stark, Keeper of the Macramé Owls”
2713 Kovr Drive
West Sacramento, CA 95605

♥ ♥ ♥

This guest blog post is
written by Vivienne Foley,
Macramé Owl Rehabilitation Expert (MORE)

Macramé Owl Poaching

Warning: The Contents of this Post May Shock and Disturb You

I recently travelled to Canada to investigate reports that Macramé Owls are still being hunted for their jute. I discovered that Macramé Owl poaching is still rampant in the wilds of the western provinces. The severity of this environmental disrespect is still unknown, but we are making progress in uncovering the secrecy surrounding this despicable — nay, diabolical — behaviour. We need your help to stop this insanity now!

While there, I met an amazing person with an inspiring story of personal transformation. Amith Perera used to be a Macramé Owl Poacher. At one time, he saw this loathsome practice as a masculine, high adrenalin, entertaining sport. But before you judge, read Amith’s story.

Confessions of a Former Macramé Owl Poacher

“I used to be a Macramé Owl poacher myself. Outright, blatant and proud. It was such a rush! Stalking them, trapping them, and then hanging them proudly on my cabin walls.

“One day, I shot a Great Wooden Hoop Macramé Owl. For years, this variety had been my most valuable, highly sought-after kill; my greatest, proudest trophy. But as the gun shot echoed across the valley, something shocked my senses, thrusting me into a different time, shifting my thoughts, feelings, and the direction of my entire life.

“Within the harsh, dead silence that followed, I heard a meek and sombre “whoooo whoooo”. It stopped me in my tracks. As a lone tear escaped down my cheek, I whispered my guilty reply:

“meee… meee…”

“I fell to my knees in remorseful despair. I realized I had shot a mother Macramé Owl, leaving its grieving orphans desperately seeking to understand the blasphemous act that had just taken place.

“I had to rethink my entire life. I had to take full responsibility for my actions. I vowed, there and then, to never, ever harm another Macramé Owl again — not even the pathetic, ugly ones!

“I now devote my life to protecting all Macramé Owls from harm.”

Reformed

Amith now campaigns for Macramé Owl anti-poaching laws to be passed. He not only enforces regulations by bringing Macramé Owl poachers to justice; he also mediates between transgressors and victims to create greater inter-species peace and understanding.

I was so inspired by Amith’s story and resulting compassion for the plight of the Macramé Owl, that I invited him to join the Macramé Owl Sanctuary Team (Canadian Division) as our MOAPER (Macramé Owl Anti-Poaching Enforcement Regulator). He graciously accepted and we welcome his ‘insider’ information to aid our cause in saving many more Macramé Owls from devastation and trauma.

Below:  Macramé Owl Ignatius (‘Iggy’ for short) congratulates Amith in his new role as MOAPER.

How to Identify Macramé Owl Poaching Behaviour

Through photographic re-enactments, Amith, Iggy and other Macramé Owl residents agreed to show our concerned Macramé Owl enthusiasts just what to look out for when identifying a despicable act of Macramé Owl poaching.

No Macramé Owls were harmed during this photo shoot. Any trauma re-lived by Iggy and the others was closely supervised by a professional Macramé Owl psychologist.

The Stalk, Swoop, and Swing Method. Below: Through some lame shrubbery, the poacher stalks the unsuspecting Macramé Owl hanging around in a tree amid an apparently safe locale, minding his own business.

The poacher swoops in, catching the Macramé Owl by complete surprise.

With absolutely no respect or dignity toward the Macramé Owl, the poacher rudely swings him over his shoulder and ignorantly saunters off with his prey.

The Lie and Leap Method. Below: The poacher patiently lies in waiting for the perfect moment to leap up and pounce on his prize.

As the poacher prepares to leap upward, the Lemon Macramé Owl notices in the nick of time, letting out an ear-piercing screech!

Alerted by the warning, and much to the poacher’s dismay, the Lime Macramé Owl has flown off to another tree for safety. Still, this does not deter the greedy poacher as he continues to leap in the direction of his prey.

Note: The only thing that will scare off a poacher, is if he knows YOU are around as a witness. Don’t be afraid to let him know you disapprove. Macramé Owl poachers are cowards that prey only on the innocent and defenseless. We ask that you bravely intercept a Macramé Owl poacher and stop him from continual victimization of these special creatures. He is sure to depart quickly, and empty-handed.

The Sneak and Snatch Method. Below: Here, the poacher cleverly sneaks up behind the trees where two unsuspecting Macramé Owls are socializing.

This tactic makes it easy for the poacher to snatch the smaller varieties of Macramé Owl.

The Entangle and Entrap Method. Below: This naive Macramé Owl is under the illusion that she is safe within (what she thinks is effective) camouflage.

But the determined Macramé Owl poacher stops at nothing to get what he is after. He uses a clever entanglement technique causing the so-called ‘safe camouflage’ environment to entrap the Macramé Owl. Despite a defiant struggle, the Macramé Owl is helplessly caught in the branches… and swiftly winds up in the evil arms of the poacher.

It cannot be said enough:

Music Group

At the Macramé Owl Sanctuary, we provide the best opportunities for our residents to experience great entertainment and participate in creative activities. Greg is a highly skilled musician, singer and song writer. Zoë is an avid percussionist in Samba Galez. With such talent in the team, our Macramé Owls always have a song in their hearts.

As you can see, Alfonso (wearing headphones) has a particular interest in music technology. Madeleine and Lavinia are fond of the keyboards, while some of the others take a more relaxed perspective and enjoy the singsong. 

Sometimes, it gets a bit rowdy with some old time rock and roll tunes.

At the end of a music session, Zoë lulls Skippy to sleep with a sweet and delicate lullaby.

Clever Macramé Owl Rescue

From an upstairs window of her home, Loraine Gliser of Holts Summit, Missouri in the USA, spotted two rather large Albino Macramé Owls taking refuge in a tree in her back garden. With a mixture of alarm and excitement, she carefully ventured near and attempted to coax them down. But they must have been through quite an ordeal as they seemed to be paralyzed by fear and would not budge. She tried to subliminally mesmerize them, yet they remained motionless.

They stayed in the tree for quite some time.

After several phone calls to husband Mike Gliser, he was able to rush home to aid Loraine in the rescue. Fortunately, Mike had read up on Macramé handling techniques in the past. Now was his chance to put this knowledge into practice. However, his first attempt received some resistance.

It was then that the couple realized this pair would need greater persuasion. But what would entice them? Knowing that some species are drawn to shiny objects, Loraine had an idea. Fetching a gleaming green ribbon bow, she flashed it in the direction of the Macramé Owls. Then, holding it behind her back, she pretended to walk away, nonchalantly. Just look how the one on the left is relentlessly staring after her!

Well, this worked! Soon, the pair were making themselves very comfortable indoors!

Macramé Owl Travesty

A horrific and shocking story was relayed to me by a woman in the UK. It seems a colleague of hers, Guy Fryer, was recently in Europe. While taking some time out in Poland, he had a dreadful encounter.

Guy reports:

“Six of us decided to go and spend a few nights away from it all in the mountains in a log cabin. When we arrived, it had no water, electricity or anything, but a stream. It had an outside toilet which was a wooden hut with a hole in the floor. I won’t go into detail… see the picture below.”

Guy continues:

“Inside (remember it’s a hunter’s cabin) it was full of bones, jaws, skulls, and live rodents which you had to protect yourself against when you slept in your sleeping bag… but my horror was complete when I saw this!!”

 

Guy confirms to us that:

“This is a 100% true story!!!”

We believe you 100%, Guy. Tragic stories like this are (sadly) not unknown to us. Guy was unfortunately unable to save this Macramé Owl. He did not have the expertise of a trained MOWRON (Macramé Owl Welfare Rescue Operations Nurse). Due to lack of funding, we were unable to dispatch our team on a mission to retrieve this Macramé Owl from its degrading environment.

This Macramé Owl may never know true happiness and freedom, but there are others out there in equally dire circumstances. They need your help. If this story tugs at your heart strings, and you want to know how you can do your part in saving the Macramé Owl, please visit our Volunteer page on our website and/or consider making a donation to aid our efforts and support our Macramé Owl Sanctuary.

We also aim to provide counselling for people like Guy who may suffer Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of such a horrendous experience.

Alphonso’s Sweet Tooth

We recently hosted a visit to the Macramé Owl Sanctuary, so we put out some lovely sweets for our guests. There were lots of sweets to begin with, so I was certain they’d last. Well, even before the guests arrived, I turned my back for a few minutes, and there were only a few sweets left!

Viv kept finding empty wrappers everywhere. It was quite concerning.

Then, we spotted the culprit. Alfonso lay there, belly aching, with the evidence in this beak! Boy, was he embarrassed!

Our Macramé Owl Residents love sweets, and we regularly have sweets available for them to share in. Alfonso, however, took advantage of the situation. Without asking who the sweets were for, he made assumptions. He helped himself without asking. It left us all in an awkward situation.

Viv had to explain to Alfonso that this kind of inconsiderate behaviour was inappropriate, and that there was a certain etiquette around helping oneself to sweets. Alfonso swiftly apologized. He’s a cheeky chappie, so we’ll have to keep him under observation in future around edible goodies.

Sanctuary Anniversary Celebration

This month, the Macramé Owl Sanctuary celebrates its third year of operation. To mark the occasion, the MOST (Macramé Owl Sanctuary Team) and some of our Macramé Owl Residents had a delicious lunch extravaganza at Nando’s in Merthyr Tydfil. The food was awesome!

Macramé Owl Shopping Spree!

This past Sunday, Viv, Zoë and Annie took 3 of the Macramé Owls out for a good ol’ girlie shopping spree at White Stuff in Cardiff.

Madeleine was eager to try on a few clothes. She’s such a fashion fanatic!

But picky, too. Fortunately, White Stuff sales assistant, Louisa Cavell, was very patient and helpful. Thank goodness for that, because Zoë, quite frankly, was getting a little bit bored of Madeleine’s indecision. Such is the life of a Macramé Owl diva who looks good in everything!

Finally, Madeleine decided to go for the lush mulberry handle bag. Great choice! (But by then, even poor Priscilla had to take a nap! Madeleine is mortified by Priscilla’s rather cheeky behaviour, resting there on the counter!)

But then it was Priscilla’s turn. She’s got a bit of a thing for shoes, she does.

Priscilla likes all kinds of accessories. And she looks amazing in pink!

Priscilla decides to go with the multibird scarf. It’s so “her”!

Now, Lavinia is not quite so keen on shopping. Zoë tried to convince her that this yellow scarf really brought out her eyes. Or perhaps the pink one, or blue? But Lavinia was more interested in all the eclectic wonder around the White Stuff store. She felt quite at home hanging with some crazy retro pots and pans dangling from a light fixture!

She also took some time out to chill in the White Stuff Book Club area. When she noticed a handsome guy in the window, she boldly asked shop assistant Aaron Short to introduce her to him.

Eventually, with Viv and Louisa’s help, Lavinia decides on a much needed layered purse and the happy contrast xbody bag.

A “so glad and very” happy time was had by all on this shopping spree to Cardiff’s White Stuff!

Macramé Owlpreneurs

Supported and encouraged by Zoë Jones and Annie Zed, Macramé Owls Madeleine and Alfonso have teamed forces with entrepreneurial spirit and enthusiasm. They are doing their part to support the sustainability of their home at the Macramé Owl Sanctuary. We’re pleased to announce they have just opened a shop on Cafe Press and have chosen a few items to model on. Madeleine appears on a large blanket so that you can cuddle up with her of a night time!

You can also buy pajamas with her picture on the front. They are so pretty and feminine, just like Madeleine herself.

Alfonso, with his cheeky spirit, is a bit more adventurous. He’s appearing on this cheerful yellow messenger bag.

You can also wear Alfonso stating his identity “I’m a Whimsical Macramé Owl” on a yellow t-shirt!

Other Macramé Owls are hoping to join the scheme, but they may need some encouragement. If you have a favourite Macramé Owl among our residents, let us know what Cafe Press product you’d like to see them on, or any ideas you have for Madeleine and Alfonso’s successful Owlpreneurship.

Our First Ever Monetary Donation

Last week, we had a surprising telephone call from a Macramé Owl fan. At first, Viv wasn’t sure what the call was about, and was quite perplexed. Macramé Owl Madeleine was also mystified.

Someone at the end of the line wanted to make a monetary donation to the Macramé Owl Sanctuary. We had never had one of those before! We were all a bit befuddled.

Eventually, after an extensive inquiry and thorough discussion, it was assessed that the individual (who wishes to remain anonymous) wanted to make a pledge for a donation of 12 pence to our efforts. Well, we were absolutely thrilled! 12 pence buys approximately 5 inches (or 12.7 cm) of jute towards Macramé Owl sutures.

Viv was ecstatic! Ciaran was so chuffed, he was inspired to deposit 2 pence of his own pocket money towards a now growing owl-bank. Let’s hope the trend continues!

If you too would like to donate to the Macramé Owl Sanctuary, please click our PayPal donation button on our Macramé Owl Appeal page on our website. No amount is too small, even if it’s “chicken feed”!