Owl chicks discovered beneath Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage

Two baby owls, called Axl and Slash, were found camping beneath Glastonbury’s Pyramid Stage last weekend.

Axl was discovered first by an attendee who spotted the chick towards the left side of the stage, underneath Guns N’ Roses’ Saturday night two hour headline slot.

The owl was named after Guns N Roses’ frontman Axl Rose, and was initially taken to RSPCA West Hatch Wildlife near Taunton, before being transferred to a Somerset based wildlife charity Secret World Wildlife Rescue.

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24 hours later, another owl was found peeking from underneath the Pyramid Stage. Thought to be Axls brother, Slash - a nod to the Guns N’ Roses legendary guitarist - was taken to Secret World Wildlife Rescue.

David Plant, the Fundraising Manager at Secret World Wildlife Rescue said “ When Guns N’ Roses were playing ‘Welcome to the Jungle’, I’m sure they didn’t realise how close they actually were to wildlife! This is possibly the most unusual disturbance case we’ve heard about this year, but it just goes to show the importance of checking your surroundings for wildlife before any activity.”

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“It looks like the parents sadly abandoned their nest once festival preparation began, so it’s difficult to say how long the chicks were left alone. We’re so grateful to the people who found and helped them; they must have been terrified after enduring almost two full days of loud music.” He continued.

“We’re hopeful that they won’t be ‘Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door’ any time soon, and we’ll be making plans to return them to the wild once they’re old enough, so they’ll get their chance to experience some ‘November Rain’ later in the year.”

You can help the owls' treatment and release by supporting the Secret World Wildlife website here.

Tiffany Ibe is Mixmag's Digital Intern, follow her on Instagram