Owls eat rats – when you stop to think about it – of course owls eat rats! But it took little more initiative to recognise that not only do Owls-eat-Rats but this fact can be used to the advantage of both farmers and wildlife conservation.
Last week the Owls-eat-Rats initiative, that involves the installation of owl nest boxes and hunting roosts on local farms to reduce the need for chemical rodenticides, won the Taronga Conservation Society’s 2025 Hatch Accelerator Program. This includes a $50,000 grant to keep the project going.
‘David Brook is the founder, he is the one who has provided the resources and boots on the ground for Wildbnb Wildlife Habitat which the Owls-eat-Rats initiative is part of, but the idea came from a friend of ours,’ explained Alastair Duncan who pitched the project to Hatch Accelerator Program last week.
Banyula Farm, a local regenerative farm and reforestation project based in Clunes, was the first to support the initiative, trialling and testing Owls-eat-Rats on a small scale before their current roll out of the program.
‘It’s been phenomenal!’ said Banyula Director Matthew Bleakley.
‘We’ve had owls move in within a week of installing a box and start laying eggs immediately. Wildbnb have been keeping count and a small family of Barn Owls can eat between 10 and 15 rats a night. Banyula’s Co-Owner Richy jokes about wanting to put 1,000 boxes across the property, but I’m pretty sure he’s not actually joking.’
Creating a safe haven
Wildbnb are currently working closely with the macadamia industry as it is a style of horticulture that can support the owls eat rats program.
‘The idea is that it grows outwards, in concentric circles. Once we have a nice safe haven for the owls the neighbouring properties are more likely to come on board,’ said Mr Duncan.
‘Its not a one-size-fits-all all. It is more working on the ground and looking to boost and create safe habitats for owls. We are currently looking at other sites, for example at Alstonville.’
Through the Hatch program, Wildbnb and owls eat rats have gained access to academics, research and universities that will help them take the project forward.
‘We want to take this to the next level and the Hatch initiative has provided a phenomenal amount of resources with mentoring and access to networks. The $50,000 will fast-track the commercialisation of the project.
‘Owls eat rats will handle pre-commercialisation and research while David and his team at Wildbnb will handle on-the-ground network and roll out then owls eat rats will build on that.
‘Like people think of bees and think pollination – we want people to take it for granted that owls eat rats and not reach for the pesticides,’ said Mr Duncan.
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