Overview

• The NSPCA says its Wildlife Protection Unit is investigating and is seeking to engage Coca-Cola South Africa.
• According to the Owl Rescue Centre, a pest control contractor called rescuers after entering the Midrand bottling plant, but the owl was killed before they arrived.
• Rescuer Brendan Murray says production had been halted and managers were concerned about financial losses, a claim the company has not addressed publicly.
• Social media users called for a consumer boycott, with some citing animal cruelty and others pointing to possible rodent concerns implied by an owl’s presence.
• A 2021 dispute over an owl’s rehabilitation payment and Coca-Cola South Africa’s recent job cuts and plant closures have intensified scrutiny of the company’s practices.