On January 29, when the Tanzanian parliament (Bunge) assembled in Dodoma for its first session of 2019, an owl flew into the building, perched on the ceiling and observed the assembly from above. The incident drew national attention and provoked questions from social media users and newspapers. What could the presence of an owl in parliament mean? ‘’Bad omen?’’ the regional weekly, The East African, proposed.Well some took to twitter to air their concerns or superstitions per say and instead of calming one down ,everyone presented their own superstitions.
Bundi alionekana mara mbili jana ndani ya ukumbi wa Bunge jijini Dodoma. Je, Bundi anapoonekana inaashiria nini? pic.twitter.com/RMKzRskrXc
— Mwananchi Newspapers (@MwananchiNews) January 30, 2019
Well some reporter had to go over and all out on this one ,but everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
The owl that entered parliament signalled the coming death of Tanzanian democracy?
— Ben Taylor (@mtega) January 30, 2019
Abdul Mngwale said “it means what they [MPs] wanted to do was not right, the proof will be seen after 21 days. For those who have never seen an owl, it’s a bird with a face like that of a cat.”Cats, particularly black ones, are also considered a symbol of misfortune and death in some African and European cultures.
But others questioned the beliefs. “Tanzanians believed in superstitions yet in developed countries people trust advanced technology. That is where we differentiate from the West,” said Kennedy Manengo. Kighera Kighera said the owl’s presence “was not a sign of anything. Owls can live in your home if its a good habitat. Where I live, we have many trees and owls live there. We live very well, they perch on the trees, while I live below.”
Facts about owls
- There are around 200 different owl species.
- A group of owls is called a parliament.
- Owls have extremely sensitive hearing, which helps them to locate their prey.
- They don’t have a sense of smell, so they can’t ‘sniff’ out prey.
- The birds live mainly alone.
- Owls can rotate their heads and necks as much as 270°.
- They are able to fly without making any noise.
- Owls hunt mostly small mammals, insects, and other birds, although a few species hunt fish.
- They are found all over the world except polar ice caps and some remote islands.
At least now you know some true facts regarding owls.