Tragedy befalls North Carolina’s famous barn owl reality show. One owl is killed

North Carolina’s wildlife version of a reality TV series took a dark turn this week when one of the stars – a juvenile barn owl – was killed.

It happened around 12 a.m. Wednesday, and the Barn Owl Live Cam revealed the predator was a great horned owl, a raptor species with a reputation for eating whatever it can catch.

“At this time, we’re not sure which owl was killed, but we do know it was one of the three youngest,” the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission reported in a social media post.

“While tragic, this is encounter is common as great horned owls are a top predator of barn owls. We were able to capture a photo of the great horned owl and the adult female barn owl fighting on top of the box. This is an extremely rare encounter to capture on camera. Unfortunately, this probably will not be the last encounter.”

The attack happened just days after the commission reported its Barn Owl Live Cam had gained an international following, with more than 62,000 watching in April as the first of six eggs hatched in real time.

One of the six never hatched and one owlet died May 27, due combination of factors that may be partly related to the ongoing drought, officials said.

The remaining owlets – three females and a male – had grown feathers and were starting to practice their flying skills in the barn, officials said in a June 22 update.

“Over the next few weeks viewers should see the owlets losing the last of their baby down, start exploring and leaving the barn, and learning to hunt,” the commission says. “The fledglings may leave the barn as early as July to start hunting on their own.”

The program marks the first time the commission has offered a live feed program, with three cameras set up for angles inside and outside the nest.

The nest location is at a remote site in western North Carolina.