GEORGE TOWN: Fancy being able to peek inside the nest of a pair of eagle owls in Penang Hill?
The hill's newly-opened Owl Museum plans to set up an “owl box” equipped with cameras to film the birds of prey.
“Visitors can then see everything that goes on inside the nest via a screen in the museum,” said Ferringhi Frontier (FF) director Adrian Soh.
Believed to be South-East Asia's first museum dedicated to owl-themed art and craft, the museum hopes to attract a pair of the hill's resident eagle owls nearby to the box.
Unlike most birds, owls do not build their own nests but seek out abandoned nests of other birds or holes, sheltered spaces in trees, caves, buildings or underground burrows to lay their eggs.
“We hope the owl box will be ready by July,” he said in an interview.
The museum, which had its soft launch last night has been opened to the public since March 23. Also in the pipeline are a series of educational activities for kids.
Managed by FF, the museum features a collection of over 1,000 rare and unique arts and craft artifacts collected from about 20 countries including Japan, South Korea, Uruguay, China, Vietnam, Thailand, England, Indonesia and France.
“We just acquired a beautiful statue of Athena, the Greek goddess of wisdom and craftsmanship, with an owl about to perch on her shoulder.
“The latest craze among collectors are the pop art' owl figurines and we already have a set of vibrant coloured ones from America.
“We are constantly sourcing for collectibles from around the world,” Soh said.
It is also trying to secure original owl props and posters from the Harry Potter films and the movie Legend of The Guardians: The Owls Of Ga'Hoole.
The museum's owls are made from a myriad of materials such as wood, stone, metal, glass, clay, plastic, buffalo horn, seashells, beans, plant fibres, crystal, porcelain, earthenware, paper and recycled items.
Special collections on loan from private collectors are also on display.
Soh said visitor response had been encouraging.
“We are looking forward to getting it certified by the Malaysia Book of Records as the first museum of its kind in the country,” he said.
Teacher Noriza Ahmad, 43, stumbled upon the museum by chance, adding that he did not know there was “such an interesting” place on the hill.
“We brought some 80 pre-schoolers from SK Tunku Ismail, Sungai Petani, on an excursion to Penang Hill and discovered the museum.
“It's very interesting for the kids to see the colourful exhibits. I was not aware that there were so many different species of owls in the world,” she said, adding that the collection was impressive.
Winnie Ho, 38, from Ipoh, echoed similar sentiments, saying she hoped to see live owls on the next visit.
“The owl box is a good idea as we will be able to see the actual birds,” said Ho, who was with her husband and two children.
The museum opens from 9am to 6pm daily. Admission is RM10 for adults and free for children under 12 while senior citizens aged 60 and above are entitled to 50% discount. Its official opening is scheduled for May or June.
Source : The Star
