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Releasing barn owls into the wild
During the 1980s and early 1990s, large numbers of barn owls were bred in captivity and many thousands are thought to have been released into the wild. In some instances, this was done by responsible establishments, working to a well thought-out conservation plan, and the released birds were carefully studied.
However, in many other cases there was no follow-up monitoring after release, so it was not possible to know whether these captive-bred birds were able to fend for themselves or competed with the existing wild population. Because of the potential problems involved in releasing captive-bred barn owls into the wild, the law now requires a government licence to be issued to permit releases.
It is certainly still possible for an individual to be given a licence if Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) is satisfied that the circumstances warrant it. The RSPB is not opposed to this principle.