Owl Enters Courtroom During Murder Trial, Sends People ''Running Out Screaming''

A court session in South Africa's Brakpan was interrupted when an uninvited guest ''caused havoc'' during a murder trial. Turns out it was an owl that swooped into the chamber through a hole in the ceiling and sent people ''running out screaming.''

The Owl Rescue Centre said that it was contacted by the Brakpan SPCA for help rescuing a barn owl from a magistrate's courtroom in Brakpan.

''The Brakpan SPCA asked us if we could rescue a Barn owl at the magistrate's court in Brakpan that has been causing havoc. Last week while the court was in session, the owl actually flew in through a hole in the ceiling which had the magistrate and the entire room full of people running out screaming,'' the rescue organisation wrote in a Facebook post. They also shared a picture of the rescued owl.

See the post here:

The group said it took time, but rescuers were able to capture the owl and remove it from the building.

''It took us a while, but we rescued the little fella. While up on the roof, we overheard a murder trial being discussed, with the judge saying that it's near impossible to solve a Brakpan murder.
The DNA is all the same and there are no dental records,'' the post further reads

The post has gone viral, with more than 1,000 likes and several amused comments. 

One user wrote, ''He's so beautiful. Goodness knows why everybody was screaming. He's harmless. Thanks for rescuing him.'' Another commented, ''I cannot understand why people are so scared of owls. I can only imagine the scene with people high-tailing it out during a trial.''

A third said, ''My question is, why is there a hole in the ceiling of a magistrates court? Thank you for saving the beautiful owl.'' A fourth added, ''I don't understand why people are so scared of birds.''