It looked like just a few random vertical poles stuck in between carefully-planted paddy fields adjoining the Kalakad-Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve. The poles were crudely fashioned and topped with flattened pads of hay, stuffed into polythene or white cloth bags. We found that this was a traditional practice that had been followed in the past and farmers pitched these poles as a wishful gift to owls from the surrounding forests, welcoming them to feast on the rats and bandicoots that might otherwise damage their crops. The poles served as perches from which the avian predators could spot their quarry and launch attacks. The farmer, in turn, was saved from using toxic rodenticides or depending upon rattrappers to safeguard his crops.